National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

First Nations culture along B.C.’s West Coast is rooted in the majestic and monumental cedar tree.

Known as the “Tree of Life,” cedar has a multitude of uses for coastal peoples, says Na̲nwak̲olas Council president Dallas Smith.

But more than a century of industrial old-growth logging has mowed down these forest giants that can live for thousands of years, putting the shared spiritual and cultural well-being of First Nations at risk, Smith said.