In early September 2021, for many reasons, I drove 4 hours to Fairy Creek, now the location of Canada’s largest public demonstration and protest. As of this writing, in excess of 950 “Forest Defenders” have been arrested. They are peacefully protesting, focused on ending any further clear cut logging of the remaining 3% of ancient forests in British Columbia. Another reason for the trip: as a hobby geologist I wanted to explore streams and shorelines, trying to understand earthquakes and plate tectonics which have impacted Vancouver Island.
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Beach Logs Come & Go
If you have been to Rebecca Spit, on Quadra Island, or similar beaches along the B.C. Coast, in the past few stormy days, you likely will have spent more than a few minutes mesmerized, watching as well as listening to logs crashing onto the shore. Has this activity always happened on the B.C. Coast?
If you are a long time resident, perhaps 40+ years, the beach fronts today are significantly different from your early years.
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Cortes Community Forest’s First Five Years
British Columbia’s old growth forests fertilize themselves as efficiently as a farmer looking after his fields. The tree plantations that are fast replacing them lack this ability. If this trend continues, the province’s vast forests may be a memory in the next two or three centuries. The inhabitants of one tiny island are trying to change this. In this morning’s program one of the directors, Bruce Ellingsen, tells me about Cortes Community Forest’s first five years of operations.
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