The awe-inspiring Mossome Grove (short for “Mossy and Awesome”) is exceptional for its impressive combination of Sitka spruce trees and huge ancient bigleaf maples with branches draped in hanging mosses and ferns. Some of these forest giants are near record-sized trees, including a massive bigleaf maple nicknamed the Woolly Giant, which would rank the 9th widest on the BC Big Tree Registry at 2.29 meters (7 feet, 6 inches) in diameter and may have the longest horizontal branch of any tree in British Columbia, measuring 23.1 meters (76 feet) long! The grove is also home to “charismatic megafauna”, including significant numbers of Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, black bears, wolves, and cougars, who inhabit the productive San Juan River Valley.
The forest, which may very well be one of the most spectacular old-growth forests in Canada, was identified by Ancient Forest Alliance in 2018 near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory. However, the specific location is not being shared due to the sensitive environment and abundant wildlife. Most of the grove is currently unprotected, with a small portion, about 3-4 hectares, lying within an Old Growth Management Area and in the riparian reserve along the San Juan River.
See our original media release for further details and photos of our climb up the grove’s largest Sitka spruce tree!
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