Late November of 2021 found Greg, Florence, Ruby, and me walking quietly down a logging road in the Nahmint Valley, in search of adventure. While it would have been easy to spend this blustery autumn day on the couch, we were excited. This was tree hunting weather!
Greg’s plan was to show us a familiar old growth forest on the Nahmint River, then to explore some uncharted territory on our way north. The day was to end in the company of an immense Douglas fir, perhaps ten centuries old!
A graduate of the Vancouver Island University ( VIU) forestry program, Greg works as a forest technologist for British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS). He now volunteers his time to help educate students on the finer points of field work, and Ruby and Florence were two of the students he was mentoring, at the time. I had been invited to share in the experience, but full disclosure, it’s not exactly difficult to convince me to go chasing after big trees, even in a torrential downpour!
That brief stroll on the logging road soon brought us to a forest that felt entirely primeval. The remains of a massive fallen fir made a strong first impression, delighting the dogs. Angus, an English Springer Spaniel, and Ben, a German Shepherd, are Greg’s regular sidekicks, and have become two of my closest friends!
I was to learn that day that the forestry program draws a wide variety of candidates. Florence had worked in the technology/business sector in France before moving to British Columbia to pursue a career among the trees. If memory serves me correctly, Ruby’s from Vancouver Island, and now works in the Kootenay region as a firefighter.
If you happen to live in British Columbia, you might have seen some of the television commercials the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BCNDP) was running in 2021 in order to convince voters they were committed to the preservation of old growth forests. On this day, we were to tour one of two areas they had selected to gather images for those ads, but in the end, film footage from the alternate location was chosen. So, have the BCNDP done a better job of protecting old growth forest than their predecessors ( the former B.C. Liberal Party)? I’ll answer yes, but truthfully, that was not a high bar to clear.
What I will say confidently is that there is a lot of work that remains to be done before I believe the government of British Columbia is thoroughly dedicated to conservation! If you’d like to view one of the commercials, I’ve included a post below from the fine journalist Sarah Cox, who writes for The Narwhal, where she prompted some discussion on the topic.
Gazing across the river at the towering spires piercing the mist did not fail to inspire our imagination. Here, on the banks of the Nahmint River, it’s clear that wilderness ought to be protected, not exploited. Quite simply, there is no justifiable reason left to log old growth forest.
Biodiversity in this grove was remarkable, with large specimens of western red cedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and Douglas fir all represented. Forty years ago, the forests of Nahmint were among the finest British Columbia had to offer, but since then, much of the old growth timber has fallen to the chainsaws. Today, with the recent expansion of Old Growth Management Areas, and the advent of the BCTS Legacy Tree Program, some of these remaining giants are finally seeing the sanctuary they deserve!
Traveling upstream unveiled one of the most magical places I have seen in the valley. Moss laden giants, and an endless carpet of ferns sprawled before us, as the river rushed by. Patience was required, as the terrain simply did not allow for fast travel. If you’re going to dedicate yourself to forest exploration, it’s always best not to be hurried.
We were fortunate to discover, among countless other things, a remarkable den in the hollow of an ancient cedar, a most unusual hollowed Sitka Spruce, and a large western hemlock. As always, it’s the pictures that best tell the story of these treasured places, so I’ll let them do most of the talking for a while!
I’ve always believed that many of the people who feign indifference toward old growth forests might be transformed if they spent some time among the trees. Trite as it may sound, seeing is believing, and it does have a way of awakening souls! Nearly three years have passed since I visited this enchanting place, but I remember it as though it were yesterday.
I’ll not be the first to say that the Nahmint Valley is full of surprises, but on this occasion we were to discover that not all of them are of the fun filled variety! After crossing a small creek, we found ourselves in a tract of forest that seemed lifeless, in stark contrast to the one we had just departed. The trees were in an advanced state of decay, with many having died, and the ground was unpredictable. The four of us staggered forward, falling frequently, fighting our way through what I later called “The Forest of Death.”
Thankfully, we emerged from its clutches after close to an hour of thrashing. A pleasant clearing materialized, and the trees were healthier once more. Even the rain decided to let up, at least briefly!
Closer examination revealed an arboreal den in a nearby western red cedar, no doubt the home of a black bear. While we didn’t meet any tenants, it was quite evident the den’s opening had been expanded recently. Greg was sure to make careful observations, as such finds are required to be reported and are studied later by biologists.
Moving on to our next objective, we soon had to be crafty in order to find our way to (relatively) drier ground. Temperatures were now cooler and the rain resumed with a vengeance, so staying on the move became a strategy for warmth. With daylight fading, it was necessary to climb through some relatively difficult brush, working our way around a series of rocky bluffs. Here, Greg’s navigating skills came in handy, as he was familiar with the terrain. Eventually, we stood beside an incredible Douglas fir, which measured an astounding 3.62 metres (11.87 feet) in diameter! This leviathan rivalled the nearby Alberni Giant in size (3.64 metres/ 11.93 feet in diameter)! I wondered aloud what this valley must have looked like before the timber industry had made its mark.
We sought to linger, and contemplate this creation, but November had other ideas, so we soon carried on. Half an hour later, we reached the truck, and better still, dry clothing to change into! Despite the cold, just minutes later I found myself daydreaming about a return to these forests. The Nahmint Valley had cast its spell once more!
*******AUTHOR’S NOTE*******
You’ll note that it’s taken me several years to tell this tale, and for that there are several explanations. One is that sometimes I just don’t get around to stories promptly, but in this case good old procrastination served me well! That’s because conservation promises are best evaluated over time!
Currently, in 2024, I find myself asking most of the same questions about the preservation of ancient forests that I have for years. The BCNDP have made some noteworthy changes since 2021, but facts also indicate that there is a serious disconnect when it comes to implementing effective policies. There may even have been a conscious effort to deceive the public, in that old growth logging is still not being curtailed. I recommend reading the article below, for added perspective.
bctreehunter 