BC Timber Sales License TA2381 with clear-cut 41 hectares of old growth forest on steep slopes above Nahmint Lake west of Port Alberni. BCTS is planning on auctioning this forest in the third quarter of fiscal year 25 meaning that it will likely be up for auction in early 2025. This massive cut block targets a forest identified as suitable Marbled Murrelet by the BC government's 2018 Marbled Murrelet habitat suitability map. It would clear-cut forest directly above wildlife habitat area 1-729. This area is one of the most intact forests on Southern Vancouver Island, the steap hillside is blanketed in old growth forest from the top of the mountain to the shores of Nahmint Lake, and the sale area includes a small tributary to Nahmint Lake which is entirely intact and has never seen logging. This timber sale would also require the expansion of the Riverside Main logging road to sneak around steep cliffs on a slope that is currently roadless, and allow for the destruction of several small wetlands. This cut block contains 8.1 million board feet of timber (19,000 m³) which, given the amount of roadbuilding involved in this timber sale will probably sell for several million dollars at most. It's insane that BCTS is continuing to target old-growth forest despite repeated commitments from the NDP that they are "protecting" old growth.
Nahmint Lake Timber Sale TA2381 (BCTS)
Bavis Creek - TA2406
Bavis Creek enters the San Juan river from the south and contains the only large section of high productivity old-growth south of the San Juan river and North of the San Juan Ridge, it extends from the top of the ridge down a steep slope towards the San Juan river, just miles away from the biggest Douglas fir tree on earth. Timber Sale license TA2406 would clear cut the heart of this forest if BC Timber Sales chooses to move it to auction.
Gain Creek #LCN37 & Logging
Gain Creek on Pacheedaht Territory is home to some of the worst government approved clear-cut logging on Vancouver Island. The old growth forests of Gain creek are being targeted for ~corporate gain~ by Pacheedaht Andersen Timber Holdings. This watershed is unseeded territory and public land, part of TFL 61 near the Jordan River. For the past several years logging has pushed up into the Gain Creek watershed which flows off of the San Juan Ridge. The company has clear cut through the creek in multiple places and newly approved cut blocks would clear cut through waterfalls to target some of the last old-growth forests of the area.
Gordon 4000 #LP06
Cut Block #LP06 is located in the tenure of the Qala:yit partnership, which supplies logs to the Pacheedaht Mill Port Renfrew. This cut block contains massive yellow cedar trees that are likely over 1000 years old, it is also home to a population of Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen. As of March 2024 logging contractors have constructed a road into the forest and clearcutting seems eminent.
Beyond The 2000 Road (another planned cut block at Fairy Creek)
Teal Jones has plans for three cut blocks on the southwestern flank of the Fairy Creek Rainforest, just across the ridge from Fairy Creek. This intact slope contains extremely impressive yellow and red cedar forest with trees up to 9 feet thick growing at high elevations. This area is identified as a deferral candidate and as Marbled Murrelet Habitat, however, it remains unprotected. Teal Jones hasn't applied to log this area yet however when they do they are sure to face substantial opposition. These are images of the biggest of those three blocks.
Parkinson Creek Timber Sale (BCTS)
BC Timber Sales intends to auction off five tracks of old growth forest in the end of 2023 in the Parkinson Creek area just south of Port Renfrew. These are images from two of those cut blocks.
Mt. Bolduc (planned cut block)
Mount Buldoc is one of the largest tracks of old growth forest remaining on Southern Vancouver Island, it contains a massive amount of old-growth yellow cedar. This area is currently being developed as a cut block by BC timber sales in partnership with the Pacheedaht Band Council, however nothing is approved yet.
Lower Fairy Creek (planned cut block)
These are images of a cut block that Teal Jones has planned in the lower reaches of the Fairy Creek watershed. Because of the Fairy Creek blockade and over 1188 people who got arrested logging in this area is currently deferred until 2025.
Granite Creek #9337 - June 2023
Granite Creek cut block #9337 is an old growth cut block in the Granite Creek watershed up 5 Mile Main near the Fairy Creek HQ. Teal Jones has constructed logging roads into this cut block in 2022 and is primed to log it in 2023.
Along with Images of the road building into cut block #9337 are images of Heli Camp taken in June 2020
Bugaboo Creek #4733 - June 2023
As of June 2023 Bugaboo Creek cut block 4733 has still not been submitted to the provincial government for approval, however, Teal Jones has constructed roads into this forest and it's primed to begin cutting as soon as they gain approval. Bugaboo Creek 4333 has some of the highest densities of old growth yellow and red cedar in TFL 46 and is one of the most important sections of forest for the endangered Marbled Murrelet seabird left on Southern Vancouver Island. Cut block 4733 also contains one of the only populations of Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen on Southern Vancouver Island.
This forest remains a top priority for protection and has been proposed as wildlife habitat area by independent scientists.
Edinburgh Mountain #7165 & #7163 Mid-Logging
In late 2022 the Teal Jones group again logging on upper Edinburgh mountain in cut blocks 7165 & 7163, these forests known as the Truck Road 11 cut blocks contain old-growth red cedar and on is in the watershed of Eden Creek, endangered birds have been documented in the area including the western screech owl.
These forest will be gone by the end of summer 2023
San Juan Ridge (Gain Creek) RD JR850
These are images of a planned cut block in Gain Creek (part of the Loss Creek potter shed), which is south of Port Renfrew along the San Juan ridge, this area is controlled by the Pacheedaht band council that has undertaken insanely extensive logging in this area.
Road building has already been approved into this forest, and a cut block has been laid out. When this forest is logged there will be no setbacks from the stream that flows through this forest. While I was there I observed "Cutting boundary" flagging tape within a meter of the creek.
Carnation Creek
Carnation Creek is a large section of valley bottom old growth just south of the Alberni Sound on Huu-at-aht Territory, this section of forest has been overlooked by the timber industry for the past several decades but remains unprotected as Western Forest Products continues to log the neighboring Klanawa Valley.
This is one of southern Vancouver island’s best old growth cedar forests, it has been left undisturbed for time in memorial yet as I walked into the forest I heard chainsaws on the neighboring ridge…
Dakota Creek (Cape Scott) #HBFM601
BCTS (BC Timber Sales) is planning on auctioning off a 42 HA old growth cut block immediately adjacent to Cape Scott Provincial Park in the Dakota Creek Watershed this year.
This would only be the SECOND cut block ever to be logged in the intact Dakota Creek Watershed.
Darling River RD MI950A-1
The BC NDP has approved road building into an old growth cedar forest on the Darling River south of Bamfield, this cut block contains literally hundreds of western red cedar trees growing over 2.5 m in diameter.
This truly is one of the most spectacular sections of Old Growth Forest on Southern Vancouver Island and before the end of 2023 it is likely to be gone.
Beyond The 2000 Road (Planned Teal Jones Cut Blocks At Fairy Creek)
Teal Jones has plans for three cut blocks on the southwestern flank of the Fairy Creek Rainforest, just across the ridge from Fairy Creek. This intact slope contains extremely impressive yellow and red cedar forest with trees up to 9 feet thick growing at high elevations. This area is identified as a deferral candidate and as Marbled Murrelet Habitat, however, it remains unprotected. Teal Jones hasn't applied to log this area yet however when they do they are sure to face substantial opposition.
Grant Bay RD W152 & W480
Western Forest Products has applied to build a sprawling road network into a last fringe of old growth forest along the pacific ocean near the outlet of Quintino Sounds and north of Grants Bay. This forest contains old group red cedar with remarkable canopies and is near some of the most productive old growth forest on Northern Vancouver Island.
As of the end of February 2023 this road building has not been approved.
The 2000 Road #7275 & #7276
The 2000 Road lies just across the ridge from Fairy Creek on the southwestern flank of the old growth rainforest. The area was clear-cut in 2019 and then again in 2021 after dozens of people were arrested trying to stop the logging. The area is incredibly steep and landslides are common on the road.
Teal Jones has decommissioned the road for now however there are 3 cut blocks planned on the next slope over.
Kwatleo Creek
Kwatleo Creek on Northern Vancouver Island contains some of the most spectacular cedar forests remaining in British Columbia. The groves here are truly the best of the best of BC’s endangered old growth forest. This area is part of TFL 6 and is unprotected. This area has seen over 80 years of industrial logging, and it is truly remarkable that any of these grandest cedar groves remain intact. You can easily explore this area by following the road past Winter Harbor; these trees are immediately visible from the road a few kilometers before it dead ends at Grant Bay. This old growth forest stretches for over 100 ha.
Weather conditions did not allow for a thorough exploration of this grove however in the short time we were there, and within minutes of entering the forest we found two cedar trees measuring 3.6 and 3.5 m in diameter.
There are no logging approvals in this forest, however that could change any day. I will certainly be monitoring this area.
Looper Creek #783307
Cut block #783307 is a small patch of forest in one of the most intensively log sections of Looper Creek, a tributary to the Caycuse Valley. The cut block is at the headwaters of the creek and contains hundreds of monumental cedar trees. I explored this forest in the summer of 2022 and while I was there Wester Forest Product surveyors were in the cut block in preparation for logging.
In early November 2022, this cut block was logged.
