Two Victoria-based forest conservation groups recently discovered an ancient grove near Port Renfrew that theyB次元官网网址檙e calling the B次元官网网址渢he most magnificent and awe-inspiring old growth forest in the country.B次元官网网址�
Members of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and the Ancient Forest Alliance found the unprotected grove, with several near-record trees, in the San Juan River Valley in October.
Ken Wu, the executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, said the largest trees in grove are near-record size, including a Sitka spruce and bigleaf maple that would rank as the ninth widest on the B.C. big tree registry.
RELATED:
B次元官网网址淭his is perhaps the most magnificent and stunningly beautiful old-growth forest IB次元官网网址檝e ever seen, and IB次元官网网址檝e explored a lot of old-growth forests in my time,B次元官网网址� said Wu on Wednesday.
He said finding an unprotected forest is significant because many similar areas on Vancouver Island and elsewhere on coastal B.C. have been logged.
The forest has been nicknamed Mossome Grove, short fot Mossy and Awesome Grove, because of the trees which are draped in hanging mosses and ferns. The grove is located on Crown land and managed by B.C. Timber Sales.
There are no plans to log the area, but B.C. Timber Sales has come under fire for auctioning off old-growth forests for logging in areas of the Nahmint Valley and Schmidt Creek on Vancouver Island and Manning provincial park.
RELATED:
The Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and Ancient Forest Alliance are calling on the B.C. government to reimplement a comprehensive, science-based plan to protect the provinceB次元官网网址檚 endangered old-growth forests.
B次元官网网址淲ithout buffer zones to surround and protect the largest trees, and without also protecting the grandest groves, the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 currently proposed big tree protection policy is essentially a Big Lonely Doug PolicyB次元官网网址� that will leave a few sad giants standing alone in clearcuts scattered around Vancouver Island,B次元官网网址� said Andrea Inness, an Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
Like us on and follow us on
