About 35 members of Elders for Ancient Trees and their supporters gathered outside Forests Minister Ravi Parmar’s office on Dec. 8 to call for stronger protections for old-growth forests. … “We stand together with the brave and intrepid forest defenders protecting the Walbran,” said organizer Jackie Larkin. “If the NDP government won’t protect these precious forests, we will. “Once these forests are gone, they’re gone, and the species who live there are gone as well.” Larkin said the group intends to continue putting pressure on the province. “We brought our message to Ravi Parmar and the NDP government today, and we will for as long as necessary,” she said. During the event, speaker Joan Rosenberg informed attendees that RCMP had arrested six protesters earlier that day for blocking a logging road leading into the Upper Walbran Valley, northwest of Port Renfrew. Among those arrested was Mohawk musician Logan Staats.