Located outside the town of Powell River in the territory of the Tla’amin and shíshálh First Nations, Mt. Freda is home to some of the oldest trees in Canada. High in the mountains, locked in by snow for much of the year, these forests are incredibly slow-growing and delicate ecosystems. Some ancient yellow cedars logged on Mt. Freda were found to be over 1200 years old. This 21-hectare cutblock, located at over 3,609 feet (1,100 metres), is powerful evidence of the extreme lengths that logging companies are going to carve out the last vestiges of old-growth from the landscape.
In 2021, the logging of the remaining ancient forests of Mt. Freda was paused thanks to the leadership and initiative of the Tla’amin First Nation, which requested a temporary halt to any old-growth logging in its territory.
More recently, the BC government has identified several at-risk ancient groves on Mt. Freda for potential logging deferrals, including some of the forest pictured here. Deferral or “solutions space” funding for First Nations is now urgently needed to help offset the lost logging revenues for any accepted deferrals.
Be sure to watch our Powell River Community Spotlight video featuring interviews with local First Nations, activists, and recreationists.
Take action by sending an instant message to protect old-growth forests.
