Recent News

A large group of hikers crowd around the massive redcedar dubbed "Canada's Gnarliest Tree" during an Ancient Forest Alliance led public hike to the Avatar Grove in summer 2010.

BREAKING NEWS: AVATAR GROVE might get SAVED – Please WRITE a LETTER now!!

Yesterday BC’s Forests Minister Pat Bell announced that he is considering protecting the endangered Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew, and is also looking at developing new legal tools to increase protection of exceptional ancient trees and old-growth stands in BC. This would be an important step forward!
Announcements
A waterfall cascades through the old-growth redcedars in the endagered Avatar Grove.

Grove Saved?

“Certainly we have been hearing the message . . . that we should be considering some tools, perhaps new tools that we could use when particularly unique trees are identified. They may be individual trees or small areas like the Avatar Grove that provide incremental value over and above the timber resource value,” Bell told media.
News Coverage
AFA Campaign Director Ken Wu sits atop a massive

B.C. looking for new ways to protect ancient trees

Bell, who has previously emphasized that B.C. has ample protection for old-growth trees, said the change is driven by the public mood.
Media Release
The highly endangered Spotted owl. An estimated 5 individuals are thought to exist still in the wild.

B.C. needs endangered species legislation

Super, natural British Columbia is awesome, with more than 4,373 known forms of life. At more than double the size of the state of California, B.C. is breathtaking.
News Coverage
Hikers gather around the largest alien shaped cedar in the Lower Avatar Grove

BC Government considers protecting "Avatar Grove"

"Certainly we have been hearing the message for some time from different organizations that we should be considering some tools, perhaps new tools that we could use when particularly unique trees are identified. They may be individual tees or small areas like the Avatar Grove that provide incremental value over and above the timber resource value," Bell said.
News Coverage
AFA Campaign Director Ken Wu stands beside one of the Avatar Grove's largest redcedars.

Times Colonist – Thumbs Up To the Forest Practices Board

Voluntary efforts by forest companies answerable to shareholders aren't enough, but the report is a start toward real protection for trees with historic significance every bit as real as ancient ruins.
News Coverage
Flagging tape marked "Falling Boundary" in the lower Avatar Grove when the forest was initially surveyed for logging.

BC Government considers protecting the Avatar Grove and Ancient Trees

Forests Minister Pat Bell’s statements comes on the heels of a new Forest Practices Board report released on Thursday that calls on the BC government and industry to seek “creative ways” to save ancient trees, that the land-use policy framework exists for the BC government to readily protect the Avatar Grove
Media Release
A massive redcedar in the endangered Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew

Group Optimistic About Government Considering Protection of Old Growth Forests

The forest practices board made a recommendation that BC should find creative ways to protect monumental trees and ancient forest stands. This is the government's watchdog. They appointed the body to review forestry in BC and now their own watchdog is saying we need to move farther to save our old growth forests
News Coverage
A giant 14ft diameter old-growth redcedar stump sits among dozens more in the clearcut near Port Renfrew

Watchdog wants big trees protected

The watchdog board investigated a complaint about massive old-growth trees being cut near Port Renfrew and concluded that, although the forest company -Teal Cedar Products Ltd. -did nothing wrong, government and forest companies should pay more attention to trees of exceptional size, form, age or historical significance.
News Coverage
Standing beside a massive 16ft diameter redcedar stump is Hans Tammemagi

Call for Port Renfrew Foresters not to chop down ancient trees

The Forest Practices Board (FCB) said the trees in question, cut by logging company Teal-Jones, were between 500 and 1,000 years old. Logging the trees was legal, but the board in a report released Thursday called for foresters and land managers to get “creative” about conserving trees of exceptional size, form, age or historical significance.
News Coverage

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Ancient Forest Alliance

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is a registered charitable organization working to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry.

AFA’s office is located on the territories of the Lekwungen Peoples, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
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