Metchosin's Largest Tree

January 31, 2011 in Forests, Uncategorized

On the weekend I paid a visit to Metchosin's largest tree - a massive old-growth Douglas-fir measuring 28.5ft in circumference (9ft in diameter) growing near Matheson Lake. It's an incredible reminder of the forest giants that once covered most of Vancouver Island. In the woods and hills of the CRD you can still find a few "veteran trees" like this one that escaped the saw's for one reason or another.

Afterwards I wandered further along the foggy mountainside and marveled at the old lichen covered forests that remain mostly intact around the lake.

Vancouver Island - Ancient Forest Clearcut

April 02, 2010 in Forests, Logging, Uncategorized

I took this shot of an old-growth clearcut in the Gordon River Valley on southern Vancouver Island in 2010. It serves as a haunting reminder of the continued threat these forests face. 75% of Vancouver Island's original productive old-growth forests have been logged including 90% of the valley bottoms where the biggest trees grow and richest biodiversity is found.

Without legislated protection from the BC government, the last of our globally rare ancient temperate rainforests will continue to be logged off and replaced with second-growth tree plantations. These tree plantations do not adequately replicate the former old-growth ecosystem that was lost and are typically re-logged within 50-70 years.

With so little of our original old-growth forests left it only makes sense to transition to sustainable logging in second-growth forests instead which now constitute the vast majority of the landscape. By doing so we will help protect our air, water, climate and wildlife, as well as our jobs, into the future.

To help save BC's endangered old-growth forests please sign and share this online petition.

Cheewhat Cedar - Canada's Largest Tree

October 25, 2009 in Forests, Uncategorized

Canada's largest tree, the Cheewhat Giant, grows protected in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on southern Vancouver Island in the territory of the Ditidaht First Nation. This massive western redcedar measures 182 feet (55 m) tall and 20 feet (6 m) wide. It’s also the largest known western redcedar tree in the world, a true wonder to behold.

The record-sized tree was first identified by Maywell Wickham in 1988, and nearly 40 years later, a larger one has yet to be found (despite the best efforts of big tree hunters like myself). Maywell wouldn’t have been the first person to see this tree, however. The Ditidaht people have lived amongst these lands for thousands of years, and evidence of their cultural use of the prized cedar trees found in this forest abound. When visiting this tree, take a moment to contemplate the immense scales of time in front of you, both in the form of ancient trees and rich cultural history.