PORT ALBERNI, BC — BC old-growth activists have taken before and after photos of a large area of an ancient grove that was clear-cut on Vancouver Island near Port Alberni in the Nahmint Valley. The Ancient Forest Alliance says that many of the massive trees that were cut down were over 500 years old, some being up to nine feet across. Now that the grove has been cut, they are urging the BC government to immediately correct misidentified at-risk old-growth forests that could be eligible for logging deferrals. The Nahmint Valley clear-cut spans 17.4 hectares. …The old-growth advocates added that BC Timber Sales (BCTS), the BC government’s own logging agency, owned and auctioned off this forest to the highest bidder. …The BC government has significantly ramped up their efforts to protect these at-risk areas over the past year. 

Quintin Sperling

As a logger and third-generation caretaker for his acreage near Castlegar, Quintin Sperling spent his life in the forests. “I’m a certified faller and in B.C. I’ve done practically everything related to timber harvesting, logging, road building, firefighting, and silviculture work,” Quintin says. …But recently, Quintin decided to stop working in the woods. It’s a profession he no longer feels proud to be a part of. …Quintin has documented the violations he’s seen in the forests near him and submitted evidence to local compliance officers. However, the timber license holders are allowed to continue their work with no repercussions that he’s aware of. …Quintin hopes a better way is possible. “I think if the government had the courage to rewrite and pass new legislation… saying ‘if you’re not operating ethically and sustainably, we will pull your timber license, you get no compensation for it, you have no legal recourse.’”

VANCOUVER, BC — Light filters through a canopy of towering Douglas firs. Trunks stretch upwards toward a band of blue sky. Bird song slices through the silence. We are instructed to stand still, feet planted in the earth, feeling the breeze on our skin, inhaling the scent of dirt and pine, listening to creatures scuttling in the undergrowth. …Despite first appearances, this is not the initiation ceremony of a tree-worshipping cult. Rather, I am taking part in guided forest-bathing in Vancouver’s Lighthouse Park, an old-growth temperate rainforest hugging the shores of West Vancouver. …The idea of guided forest-bathing might seem a little absurd. Why not just take a walk in the forest? Why the yoga mats and tree-focused meditations, intentional walks and guidance cards? …The practice, known as shinrin-yoku, originated in Japan in the 1980s in response to karoshi — death by overwork. 

A majority of B.C. residents support the province’s 30 X 30 conservation targets, suggests a new poll. The survey, conducted by Leger for Organizing for Change, a coalition of 12 B.C. environmental groups, found 85% of those polled support protecting 30% of land and water by 2030. …Protected areas now cover about 15.8% of the land base in B.C., which means the province would need to nearly double protected areas to meet its 2030 target. …This target aims to protect 30% of all land and water by 2030 in a bid to protect Earth’s biodiversity and mitigate climate change. The top areas that people support conservation in are habitats with species at risk such as old-growth forest (88%); areas of natural beauty and intact watersheds (86%); places where wildlife move between habitats (84%); outdoor recreation areas (81%); and culturally significant land to Indigenous people (67%).