Hunt for trophy trees yields a treasure trove on Vancouver Island - untouched remnants of a 10,000-year-old forest -
When T.J. Watt went into the woods just outside the small West Coast town of Port Renfrew, he didn’t know what he’d find but he was hoping for a big score.
The photographer and member of an environmental non-profit called the Ancient Forest Alliance had been searching across southern Vancouver Island for mega flora – the last, untouched remnants of a 10,000-year-old forest.
He had found big trees in remote locations before, but nothing that fit the bill for the marketing campaign the group wanted to launch. They needed huge, dramatic, mind-blowing trees that were easily accessible to the public. But that combination is increasingly elusive because logging has removed 90 per cent of the old growth on southern Vancouver Island, and less than 1 per cent of what remains is thought to have trees over 500 years of age.
Just as darkness fell, however, Mr. Watt glimpsed a few grey, weathered spires of wood jutting up through the ragged forest canopy.
“I didn’t think there could possibly be big trees that close to Port Renfrew,” he said. “But those candelabra tops are a sign of really old cedars. So I stopped.”
There, 10 minutes off the road, he stumbled into a grove of giant trees so stunning that it has inspired a town founded by logging to call for the area to be protected. Rose Betsworth, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, said her organization has joined forces with the Ancient Forest Alliance because of the tourism potential in keeping big, old trees standing. The unusual partnership is testament to how far the debate over old-growth forest has come since the bitter War of the Woods drew international attention to logging practices on Vancouver Island two decades ago.
“They are a non-radical environmental group. That’s why I sided with them. They have a nice way of educating people about the old growth. … They bring a lot to the table and are stirring things up,” Ms. Betsworth said. “For decades this was a logging town. … My dad was a logger. But it’s about tourism now.”
As she spoke, a steady stream of vehicles pulled up to the town’s new visitor information centre, which opened this summer after a joint fundraising event with the Ancient Forest Alliance.
The popularity of Avatar Grove, as it was named in a brilliant branding move, has convinced the British Columbia government to protect the area – and it may yet lead to a rethinking of how the province manages its oldest forests.
Mr. Watt, who says hunting for trophy trees is as addictive as searching for gold, knew immediately he’d found something special.
“When we went in there, right away we came across some big cedars and we were running around like kids in a candy story,” he recalled. “Not only were they giants, but they had crazy shapes as well.”
Read more -
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/hunt-for-trophy-trees-yields-a-treasure-trove-on-vancouver-island/article2107118/
When T.J. Watt went into the woods just outside the small West Coast town of Port Renfrew, he didn’t know what he’d find but he was hoping for a big score.
The photographer and member of an environmental non-profit called the Ancient Forest Alliance had been searching across southern Vancouver Island for mega flora – the last, untouched remnants of a 10,000-year-old forest.
He had found big trees in remote locations before, but nothing that fit the bill for the marketing campaign the group wanted to launch. They needed huge, dramatic, mind-blowing trees that were easily accessible to the public. But that combination is increasingly elusive because logging has removed 90 per cent of the old growth on southern Vancouver Island, and less than 1 per cent of what remains is thought to have trees over 500 years of age.
Just as darkness fell, however, Mr. Watt glimpsed a few grey, weathered spires of wood jutting up through the ragged forest canopy.
“I didn’t think there could possibly be big trees that close to Port Renfrew,” he said. “But those candelabra tops are a sign of really old cedars. So I stopped.”
There, 10 minutes off the road, he stumbled into a grove of giant trees so stunning that it has inspired a town founded by logging to call for the area to be protected. Rose Betsworth, president of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, said her organization has joined forces with the Ancient Forest Alliance because of the tourism potential in keeping big, old trees standing. The unusual partnership is testament to how far the debate over old-growth forest has come since the bitter War of the Woods drew international attention to logging practices on Vancouver Island two decades ago.
“They are a non-radical environmental group. That’s why I sided with them. They have a nice way of educating people about the old growth. … They bring a lot to the table and are stirring things up,” Ms. Betsworth said. “For decades this was a logging town. … My dad was a logger. But it’s about tourism now.”
As she spoke, a steady stream of vehicles pulled up to the town’s new visitor information centre, which opened this summer after a joint fundraising event with the Ancient Forest Alliance.
The popularity of Avatar Grove, as it was named in a brilliant branding move, has convinced the British Columbia government to protect the area – and it may yet lead to a rethinking of how the province manages its oldest forests.
Mr. Watt, who says hunting for trophy trees is as addictive as searching for gold, knew immediately he’d found something special.
“When we went in there, right away we came across some big cedars and we were running around like kids in a candy story,” he recalled. “Not only were they giants, but they had crazy shapes as well.”
Read more -
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/hunt-for-trophy-trees-yields-a-treasure-trove-on-vancouver-island/article2107118/
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