News Release - March 22, 2013

Recent clearcuts found in close proximity to renowned Castle Grove

VICTORIA – Environmentalists have discovered recently logged cut-blocks in an old-growth stand less than two kilometres south of the Castle Grove, in the Walbran Valley on southwestern Vancouver Island. Media reports from November 2012 suggested that logging company Teal Jones Group would not log the Castle Grove in the near future, and at the time the BC government said they were looking at ways to formally protect the region’s big trees. Instead, Teal Jones has cut a neighbouring old-growth stand, and the government has done nothing to stop it.

Torrance Coste, Vancouver Island Campaigner with the Wilderness Committee, noticed the recent clearcut on a trip into the Walbran Valley on March 13. On his previous visit to the valley, in August 2012, the forest was still standing.

“This is heartbreaking, to say the least,” said Coste. “To still be cutting groves like this, even though there are barely any left anywhere, is absolutely shameful. We were hoping the BC government was coming up with a plan to protect big trees, but instead we’ve found more big stumps.”

Some of the trees in the most recent clearcut were over 900 years old, based on ring counts. These trees provided high-quality habitat, served as a massive carbon sink, and provided a buffer between the Castle Grove and other logged areas.

The area is within Tree Farm License (TFL) 46, currently held by Surrey-based Teal Jones Group.

The Castle Grove has been identified by environmentalists as one of BC’s most exceptional stands of ancient trees, and the Wilderness Committee has been involved in efforts to protect the grove and the Upper Walbran Valley since the early 1990s.

“The Castle Grove is the best old-growth red cedar around, simple as that,” Coste said. “The BC government needs to step in now to protect the Walbran Valley’s ancient forests before any more old-growth is lost.”

Old-growth forests are vital to the preservation of endangered species and habitat, and they also sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide – something critical in mitigating climate change. On Southern Vancouver Island, close to 90 per cent of the productive old-growth has already been logged.

The Wilderness Committee is calling for a ban on old-growth logging, and for the province to protect what little remains.

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For more information, contact:

Torrance Coste, Vancouver Island Campaigner, Wilderness Committee

(250) 516-9900

Additional links:

Downloadable high-res photos from the recent Walbran Valley clearcut
(Credit: Torrance Coste)
http://wildernesscommittee.org/victoria/walbran_valley_old_growth_logging_photos_march_2013

Downloadable B-roll footage (Credit: Jacob Wise)
https://vimeo.com/62299039
https://vimeo.com/62317673