Exploration: Central Walbran Ancient Forest - Vancouver Island, BC

This past weekend, my partner Jackie and I took time to explore and document the endangered old-growth forests of the Central Walbran Ancient Forest on southern Vancouver Island, BC. It was pretty extreme terrain in most sections along the hillside and the heat and relentless mosquitoes only added to the challenge. But the forests here are some of the most rare and beautiful on Earth. Trees of monstrous shapes and sizes, growing largely undisturbed for millennia. However, they're currently under threat as a Surrey-based forestry company, the Teal-Jones Group, is aggressively moving forward with plans for eight new cutblocks (clearcuts) and a new road in the heart of this magnificent rainforest. The photos in this gallery are from the 4412, 4410, and 4424 proposed cutblocks shown on the map. The Walbran Valley is home to perhaps Canada’s finest stands of old-growth redcedars. Stepping into the forest here is like getting into a real-life time machine. It allows one to travel backwards in time and experience the magnificence of our corner of the world as it once was. If you haven't visited the Walbran Valley before, do try to. It changed my life and many others too. More news to come as we ramp up our efforts to protect this incredible natural treasure.