Forests

Canada's Most Impressive Tree - Flores Island, Clayoquot Sound, BC

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This is huge - literally! I’m thrilled to share images of what may very well be Canada’s most impressive tree. This gargantuan redcedar measures over 17 ft (5 m) wide near its base and 151 ft (46 m) tall. However, unlike most other trees, its trunk gets wider going upwards, culminating in a sprawling fortress-like crown of wooden spires akin to a massive wooden wall of an ancient castle.

This giant could possibly have the largest or near largest wood volume of any tree in Canada for about the first 50 feet of its trunk - the part you see and experience from the ground. This would make it, experientially, perhaps the most impressive tree in Canada, despite other cedars being taller or ranking higher overall.

It grows in a remote region of Flores Island in Ahousaht territory in Clayoquot Sound, BC, and has so far garnered the nickname ‘The Wall’, or ‘ʔiiḥaq ḥumiis’, meaning ‘big redcedar’ in the Nuu-chah-nulth language. The exact location has been asked to be kept private at this time.

I first located and photographed the tree while exploring with my friend, Nathaniel Glickman, as part of my project work as a National Geographic and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer. Approaching it for the first time, I was almost in disbelief that it could be real. The scale of its looming trunk and sprawling canopy was absolutely mind-blowing. It's like a living fortress. In my nearly twenty years of searching for the biggest trees in BC, coming across this one has been the pinnacle of my career thus far.

In the spring of 2023, I returned with Tyson Atleo, Hereditary Representative of the Ahousaht Nation and the Natural Climate Solutions Program Director of Nature United, and members of the Maaqutusiis Hahoutlhee Stewardship Society (MHSS).

Thankfully, the incredible Land Use Vision from the Ahousaht Nation, currently in the late stages of negotiations with the BC government, calls for the protection of 80% of Ahousaht territory, including the ancient forest where this tree is found. This would happen through the creation of new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) to be legislated as Provincial Conservancies by the province.

The BC government must fully fund and support Indigenous-led protection of old-growth across BC, including in the remaining monumental old-growth stands and those identified as most at risk by the province’s science panel, the Technical Advisory Panel. Speak up here.

I commend the Ahousaht Nation for continuing to be such incredible stewards of their lands, which harbour some of the most magnificent ancient forests, trees, and wildlife on Earth. Those interested in exploring their territory near Tofino should consider joining an eco-cultural tour with Ahous Adventures.

See the Ancient Forest Alliance media release, CBC interview and article, and CHEK News video interview.

Mossy Maple Grove in Springtime

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Springtime in the luscious Mossy Maple Grove west of Lake Cowichan in Hul’q’umi'num territory. This rare and spectacular grove is home to super shaggy old-growth bigleaf maple trees adorned with thick mats of hanging moss. Bigleaf maple trees have the unique ability to tap into nutrient-rich soil that develops over time in the canopy through aerial roots that sprout from their branches.

The forest is home to wildlife such as Roosevelt-elk, cougars, wolves, bears, deer, and more, while diverse plants carpet the forest floor. Due to its fantasy-like appearance, the grove has also been nicknamed ‘Fangorn Forest’ after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.

The Ancient Forest Alliance first drew attention to the need to protect this grove, which is found on private lands, in 2011. Most recently, the forest was deferred from logging for at least 25 years through logging company Mosaic’s BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative - a good step forward.

Now it’s up to the BC government to create a Provincial Land Acquisition Fund to help purchase and protect these scarce and valuable old-growth forests found on private lands in perpetuity.

Clearcutting of Grove of Forest Giants on Northern Vancouver Island – Photos and Videos Document the Destruction

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An ancient cedar tree lies prone amidst the destruction of an old-growth clearcut with myself on the trunk for scale. Likely 700+ years old, this tree and scores of others like it would have been standing just before we arrived that day.

However, in 2022, Western Forest Products began clearcutting 25 hectares (roughly 50 football fields) from an incredible old-growth cedar grove in Quatsino territory on northwestern Vancouver Island, BC.

I was floored by the sheer number of monumental redcedars cut down, some nearly 10 feet (3 m) wide. It’s the most shocking example of industrial old-growth logging I’ve witnessed since the logging in the Caycuse and Nahmint Valleys.

Despite being home to scores of giant trees, this particular grove — and likely hundreds of others — was not included in the BC government’s independent old-growth science panel, the Technical Advisory Panel’s (TAP) original logging deferral recommendations due to the forest being incorrectly labeled as 210 years old in the province’s forest inventory database (40 years younger than the province’s 250-year-old threshold for being considered old-growth on the coast).

The TAP made clear recommendations to the BC government that on-the-ground assessments should be used to identify and defer big-tree old-growth forests that were missed in their preliminary analysis. So far, despite requests from us and others, that has not been happening.

As the BC government moves to protect 30% of BC by 2030, it’s imperative that they set ecosystem-based targets based on science that prioritize the most at-risk old-growth forests, such as those with big trees, for protection.

They must also commit significant provincial funding and conjoin it with major federal funds to support sustainable economic alternatives for First Nations linked to deferrals and new protected areas.

Otherwise, irreplaceable ancient forests like this one will continue to fall.

This photo series was created with support from the Trebek Initiative.

SPEAK UP! SEND a MESSAGE to the BC government calling for the protection of endangered old-growth forests.

The photos and story became the TOP STORY on Apple News for a day as well as the most read article on The Guardian for 48 hours.

Nahwitti Lake Old-Growth Trail

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On the shores of Nahwitti Lake between the towns of Holberg and Port Hardy in Tlatlasikwala & Quatsino Territory stands one of the loveliest little old-growth trails on Vancouver Island. This gentle path winds through a lush old-growth forest and features massive Sitka spruce trees that soar majestically from enchanting fields of ferns before ending at the shores of the lake. In a landscape that’s been almost entirely cleared of its ancient giants, it provides a stunning glimpse into the grand forests that once grew here.

This big tree trail could also be a major ecotourism draw - similar to Avatar Grove in Port Renfrew - and should be added to the list of must-see north island wilderness destinations such as San Josef Bay and the North Coast Trail.

To visit the trees, find the recreation site trailhead in a small parking area just off Holberg Rd on the east end of Nahwitti Lake (50.697842, -127.812370). Be sure to support local business community as well, helping them benefit from big tree tourism 🌲

A gigantic, old-growth Sitka spruce tree along the Nahwitti Lake trail near Port Alberni & Holberg, BC.

Carmanah Valley From Above

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An aerial view over the stunning Carmanah Valley in Ditidaht territory. Flying over the south coast, one quickly realizes just how hard it is to find a view of unbroken wilderness like this.

Nearly everywhere you look is a patchwork of clearcuts, second or third growth plantations, tufts of old-growth sprinkled about, and roads - everywhere roads.

It can almost feel strange then to see a sea of unbroken green like this. Like an emerald blanket, the forests wrap around every nook and cranny, peak and valley, for as far as the eye can see.

Knowing that this area is protected fills me gratitude, wonder, and joy. As a big tree seeker, staring down at the tapestry of tall trees has my mind spinning about what future adventures in this valley might uncover.

The old-growth forests of Carmanah wouldn’t still be here today though if it wasn’t for hard-fought efforts in the 1980’s and 90’s to stop clearcut logging by Macmillan Bloedel. It stands as a testament to the fact that your efforts can and do make a difference.

Let’s keep working together to protect the remaining endangered old-growth forests in BC for ours and future generations to cherish and explore.

Carmanah Valley: New Giant Spruce Tree Identified

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UPDATE - 2024: We’ve since climbed and documented this tree with professional climbers! See the photos and story and watch the incredible video too!

At 12.5ft wide, over 250ft tall, and with a crown that is a world unto itself, this Sitka spruce may now be the largest known tree in the Carmanah Valley.

We came across it last weekend when myself and some friends were exploring in the park. After a long day of bushwhacking, daylight fading, and snow beginning to fall, its giant, multi-forked canopy caught our eye from a distance. We bumped into another group of big tree seekers before making our way over to this Goliath of the woods, shouting with excitement as we approached it.

Certain trees just enter into a different category of big and this would be one of them. It can be hard to comprehend their incredible age and immense size. To be in their presence is both humbling and inspiring, and fills you with stoke!!

The Carmanah Valley is special place. Protected in the 1990’s after hard fought conservation battles, it is home to some of, if not the the very best, old-growth Sitka spruce stands in the country. It’s also famous for having the tallest tree known in Canada, the Carmanah Giant, which stands 315ft or 95m tall.

With its sweeping valley bottoms and rolling slopes all still intact, it leaves you wondering what else could be out there. For now, this appears to be the biggest, but more could surely be in store. Only time and further exploration will tell!

The Easter egg hunt continues…