Trouble in the Headwaters: the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging in B.C.

By Jacqueline Ronson
The Narwhal
June 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Trouble in the Headwaters, a 25-minute documentary by filmmaker Daniel J. Pierce, explores the root causes behind the devastating 2018 floods in Grand Forks, B.C. More than 100 families were displaced and millions of dollars were spent on flood infrastructure — yet floods continue to threaten the region. The film follows Dr. Younes Alila, a professor of forest hydrology at the University of BC, as he investigates the upstream impacts of clear-cut logging in the Kettle River watershed. …Climate change is responsible for some of the increase in flooding. But decades of research by Alila and his peers suggests the role of industrial forestry is significant, and has long been underestimated. He spent years investigating… the cumulative effects of clearcutting. …Alila sees hope in ongoing class-action lawsuits: people impacted by floods in Grand Forks, Chemainus and elsewhere are suing governments and forestry companies.

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