The Glorious Dove Creek Fir

There are times that searching for old growth trees is an arduous and all consuming adventure, including, but by no means limited to, countless obstructions, difficult terrain, fording creeks, traversing canyon walls, and other related hazards. Then again, there are objectives like the Dove Creek Fir, sitting, if you please, on the perimeter of a farmer’s field in Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley, just metres from a well used paved road!

Going the Distance with the Chuvalo Fir

It was the strangest of apparitions on a cool, rainy morning in the Nahmint River Valley. A gnarled, towering, broken topped Douglas fir, rising abruptly into the mist, beckoning us to make its acquaintance. We had to investigate! Though the tree was a relatively short distance away, precarious ground made for a painstakingly slow approach, and the nearer we got, the more peculiar it became!

We’re Calling it the Great Root Bear Fir

“Hey Mick, have you ever noticed the immense Douglas fir that’s right beside the A&W in Oyster Bay?” The question was Greg’s, as we had been discussing big trees on Vancouver Island that were easy to find. My answer, though in the affirmative, was also incomplete. What I didn’t mention was the sheer number of times I’d driven past the location without noticing the tree. Is it surprising that a so called big tree hunter like myself could miss something so conspicuous? Well, let’s just say I’m sure my wife of many years would have no trouble imagining that scenario!