Vancouver Sun - Canada's Gnarliest Tree

An image I shot was published in the March.26th.2010 copy of the Vancouver Sun. It features an old-growth red cedar I helped discover that is being dubbed "Canada's Gnarliest Tree" growing along the Gordon River near Port Renfrew, BC. Its deformed shape comes from a type of fungus that causes the tree to contort and twist. I feel it resembles a nightmarish rabbit with its creepy paw down on the right side while others have suggested Jabba The Hut or even Elvis. It resides in a pocket of ancient forest filled with giant cedars and Douglas firs garnering it the name Avatar Grove. Unfortunately the entire area is flagged for logging by company Teal Jones. Link up to help protect this area on Facebook: Save The Avatar Grove! and visit the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Vancouver Island - Ancient Forest Clearcut

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.

Red Creek Fir - World's Largest Douglas Fir Tree

The Red Creek Fir, located just 30 minutes from Port Renfrew BC, is truly a feast for a big tree hunters eyes. Growing on a slope alongside the San Juan River Valley, the monolithic column of wood was recognized by early timber cruisers as being of considerably noteworthy size.  As it stands, it is the largest known living tree of its kind on earth!

The giant tree has some impressive measurements. It reaches 73.8m (242ft) tall, stretches 13.8m (43'7ft) around, and is 4.4m (14.4ft) across its base. The tree would have stood at least 90m (300ft) tall at one time before its top was blown off due to exposure to strong winds after much of the surrounding forest was logged. Most of its larger branches have suffered the same fate and lie scattered about the ground. Estimates of its age place the tree anywhere from 750 to 1000+ years old.

The BC government has virtually ignored the tree's significance as a world class eco-tourism destination. Recently with the Ancient Forest Alliance I erected a new sign that I made showing the tree's stats to replace the old government made sign which has laid rusted, broken, and ignored at the base of the tree for years. Local tourism operators have also now put up road direction signs leading you to the trail head. GPS co-ordinates for the Red Creek Fir are: lat=48.5790450649, lon=-124.22084

The trail leading up to the famous fir passes at one point a cluster of spectacular old-growth western red cedars. Three of these monsters sit inline with eachother and offer an impressive place to take a break.

The giant burls on the side of this cedar seem straight out of a fairytale fantasy land. Unfortunately, the ones on the lower right have had large chunks cut off of them in the past.

The Red Creek Fir has managed to survive century upon century throughout all conditions but it is still under threat from human activity. Logging company Timber West has recently laid out a cut-block within a few hundred meters of the record sized tree and includes in it some large old-growth cedars. The BC government also deems the site a Forest Recreation Area which actually offers no legislated protection. Finding a cut-block so near the tree also proves its ineffectiveness at protecting this world wonder.

If you feel strongly about this issue, please contact the following people and let them know what you think about a logging cut-block being placed so close by and if you would like to see legislated protection of the tree and surrounding forest buffer zone.

 Timber West: http://www.timberwest.com/about-timberwest/contact-us.aspx

BC Forest Minister Pat Bell: pat.bell.mla@leg.bc.ca  

RBC - Get Out Of The Tar Sands!

On March 3rd 2010 members of the Dogwood Initiative and the general public made a powerful presence at the Royal Canadian Bank (RBC) on the corner of Fort & Douglas in downtown Victoria, BC. The issue being brought to light was that of the fact that RBC is the largest financial funder of the Alberta Tar Sands, contributing over $16 billion dollars to date in direct fossil fuel funding.

Environmental groups are asking RBC to take more responsibility with its large investments in dirty fuels and focus on shift to financing renewable resources.

Key requests in regards to the Tar Sands are;

1. To recognize the rights of indigenous communities to free, prior and informed consent  to industrial projects affecting their traditional territory.
2. To phase out client relationships with tar sands operators that are unable or unwilling to reverse adverse impacts on water quality and regional ecology.
3. For RBC to take a leadership role on fighting climate change by committing to measure and reduce its financed emissions over time.

An example of fishing for a deformed fish born with two mouths due to water pollution. The Alberta Tar Sands are considered to be the most environmentally destructive industrial project on the entire earth. Of the approximately 350 million cubic meters of fresh water used in production every year, at least 90-95% ends up being too toxic to be released and is stored in tailing ponds large enough to be seen from space. An estimated 11 million litres of this waste water leaks out everyday, poisoning wildlife and increasing cancer rates in nearby communities.

What can you do as an individual? Storing or investing your money with a bank with strong environmental principles is a great start! Every dollar counts! In Canada, Vancity is ranked #1 for these standards. If you are interested in how your bank rates, the carbon footprint of your savings, and how to change it, please visit this site: http://climatefriendlybanking.com/

Duke Rd Sunrise

Sunrise a few mornings ago proved to be a spectacular one here in Metchosin. Just off of Duke Rd is a small path leading to the ocean side which offers a great  panoramic view. The bay was filled with seals, sea birds, Herons, and even a Bald Eagle all awaiting the morning light to start their day.

An Arbutus tree growing on the small island is silhouetted against the glowing sky.

The Sun finally pokes up over the horizons clouds.

The waning crescent moon lingers high above giving way to the day.

Today's Metchosin Sunrise

If any one was lucky enough to catch this mornings sunrise, it surely was a  sight. I awoke at 7:15am and realized it was perfect conditions for a great sky and by 7:30am I was standing on the edge of the Pacific at Tower Point with the most magical scene in front of me. Nature truly knows how to put on a show when she wants too!

Waves lap the rocks after traveling however many thousands of miles away to get here just in time for the morning light.

The majestic Olympic Mountains dusted with little fluffy clouds.

Two big ships motoring through the sea of orange juice!

A Canadian Goose enjoyed bobbing through the surreal sunny glow.

And the new day is upon us!

Hiking Hilltops In Metchosin

One of my favorite pastimes is exploring all the valleys, slopes, and hilltops of Metchosin. Today I chose a nice mountain off of Kangaroo Rd to tackle because I could see some large Douglas Fir trees growing near the top. It proved to be a most beautiful hike with some awesome vistas as well. From this side of the summit is a view looking out towards the hills around Matheson Lake and in the distance, the Olympic Mountains.

Here was one of the tall Douglas Firs I had hiked to see and in the top was a great surprise! Up on one of the higher branches sat a huge orange bird! I am still not entirely sure what exact kind it is, but I am thinking it is a type of hawk. The ravens weren't too happy it was there.

On the north side of the mountain the trees were all delicately covered in layers of lichens. On these steeper rocky slopes, many old Firs remain since it may have been too difficult to drag them out when the areas were hand-logged some 100 years ago.

The thick bark of these old trees are often blackened from forest fires long ago. The bark is highly fire resistant and the taller trees often survive.

Unfortunately, I stumbled upon a road being put in right up through the middle of the mountain. Excavators and puddles of oil seem quite out of place in this beautiful forest.

The cliffs in these areas provide quite the lookout. In many places you can quite literally hang your feet off into the tops of trees.

The main cliff face on the north side looked out upon the stretching Sooke Hills. This magnificent area was protected as a Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee in 1997.

Wild Side Trail Video

The Wild Side Trail runs along the southwest coastline of Flores Island, located a few kilometers north of Tofino, BC. Kevin Suave put together a video of the trail for Ecotrust Canada and used some of my photographs for the still shots. The hike is one of the most stunning and peaceful treks one can ever take. Enjoy the great little film put together of this truly amazing place.  Click here to watch the video.