Here is a gallery of new images featuring part of the endangered Central Walbran Ancient Forest. The area in focus is the proposed '4403' cutblock, flagged by logging company Teal-Jones for cutting just a few hundred metres from where people camp and swim along the Walbran River. This section of forest contains some absolutely incredible old-growth redcedar trees as well as sensitive limestone karst features. Volunteers from the Friends of Carmanah Walbran have snipped and flagged a Witness Route into the area with yellow flagging tape, making access easier now. It rained pretty good on us (one of the only rains this July!) but it added to the mystical feel. To me, the dense old-growth forests of BC's coast are one of the last frontiers of exploration on this planet. Very few venture into their deepest depths but the rewards are overwhelming. The fact that their fate is also uncertain makes it all the more important to be there on the ground, capturing what secrets lie within. The fight to protect the Walbran Valley continues, one of Earth's greatest remaining natural treasures.

Canon 5D MKII, Canon 24-70mm f4 IS, wet wet gear. Camera took a full day to de-fog.

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.

Exploration: Central Walbran - Proposed Cutblock 4403

Exploration: Central Walbran Ancient Forest - Vancouver Island, BC