Yesterday we took a Shaw TV reporter out to do a story on the big trees and ancient forests of the Port Renfrew area (Avatar Grove, Walbran Valley, and others) and their importance in supporting the local economy, including an interview with Dan Hager, the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president representing 73 businesses! Here are a few pics :)
Published and News
Exploration: Measuring Near Record-Sized Trees in the Central Walbran Valley
On a recent trip to the endangered Central Walbran Valley on southern Vancouver Island, my colleague Ken Wu and I worked to obtain accurate measurements a colossal western redcedar tree known as the Tolkien Giant (GPS: 48.64569, -124.601246). After some scrambling through the thick underbrush, we managed to wrap it with the long tape. Preliminary measurements put the ancient tree at 14.4 metres (47 feet) in circumference or 4.6 meters (15 feet) in diameter, and about 42 meters (138 feet) in height. This makes it the 9th widest western redcedar in BC, according to the BC Big Tree Registry: http://bit.ly/1Iuf9Tv It's often hard to grasp the sheer size of these giants, and even harder that many are still at risk of being cut down. The Tolkien Giant currently stands in a tenuous forest reserve known as an Old-Growth Management Area and is thankfully protected for now however, just a couple hundred meters away lies 1 of 8 cutblocks proposed by logging company Teal-Jones. Here we came across the foreboding orange flagging tape marked "Falling Boundary", as well as more giant trees. We nicknamed one incredible specimen the Karst Giant due to the band of limestone that is prevalent in this area. The Karst Giant has been tentatively measured at 12.1 meters (40 feet) in circumference or 3.9 meters (13 feet) in diameter. Although it doesn't make the top 10, it's still an exceptional tree (photo below).
At almost 500 hectares in size, the Central Walbran Valley is home to one of the largest tracts of contiguous old-growth forest found outside of parks on southern Vancouver Island, a region which has lost 96% of its valley bottom old-growth due to logging. It's an ecological and recreational jewel that must be protected by the BC government from the current logging proposals.
The dense and highly productive ancient forests found here also provide some of the most incredible bushwhacking and exploration opportunities. One truly feels like they've stepped back in time to a prehistoric-like wilderness visited by few to none on Earth. You never quite know what unique tree, karst feature, or creature might by lurking around the next corner.
See some news coverage from our Walbran trip here:
Press: British Columbia Magazine - Vancouver Island's Ancient Trees
in Published and News, Forests, Press, Travel
Here's an article in the latest British Columbia Magazine about visiting the old-growth forests of the Port Renfrew region along the "Circle Route" which features 6 of my big tree shots! It also raises the plight of the old-growth forests in the Walbran Valley, Horne Mountain (above Cathedral Grove), and Mossy Maple Grove, and includes a blurb about the Ancient Forest Alliance. Pick up a hardcopy of the latest issue to read the article today!
P.S. Here's a big tree map that you can print out and take with you: www.ancientforestalliance.org/biggest-trees-map.php
Press: Using Drones for Conservation - Front Cover
in Published and News, Press, Drone, Forests, Logging
The story of how we're using drone technology to help raise awareness of endangered old-growth forests in the Central Walbran Valley landed on the front cover of The Province newspaper this week! You can read the full story featured on the inside page here: www.theprovince.com/technology/anti+logging+activists+using+drones+fight+information/11394855/story.html and watch the YouTube clip I filmed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyMPXHOjlK0
Press: Soar Magazine on Avatar Grove, Ancient Forest Alliance, and Tourism in Port Renfrew, BC
Soar Magazine has featured some photos and quotes from me surrounding old-growth forests and the benefits of eco-tourism to the town of Port Renfrew, BC. From a town who's economy was largely based on logging since the late 1800's, the transition to big tree tourism has been a novel approach, and that after being fully embraced, is truly taking off!
Press: Scientific American Features Sitka Spruce Forest Photo
I'm thrilled to have one of my personal favourite photos spread across two pages of Scientific American, read in print by 3.5 million worldwide. The shot is from a beautiful Sitka spruce forest near Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island and compliments an article with Dr. Sally Aitken from the UBC Faculty of Forestry and BC Big Tree Registry. Check it out on the shelves until the end of August to get the full scoop!
Press: MacLean's Magazine Features Big Lonely Doug Climb
The 2015 Canada Day edition of MacLean's included a Guide to Being an Awesome Canadian and one of the things they featured was my photo and some words from our epic tree climb up Big Lonely Doug, Canada's second largest Douglas-fir tree. You can spot tree climbers Matthew Beatty (at the base) and Will Koomjian (near the top) for scale. See out a photo gallery with more pictures from the climb here: www.tjwatt.com/big-lonely-doug-climb/ Ascending Big Lonely Doug was an unforgettable experience - both inspiring and heartbreaking. I can now only hope that the awareness he's helped raise across so many media platforms about the threat to BC's ancient forests will help to keep the remaining adjacent forests alive.
Press: 2 Portraits for Canadian Wildlife Magazine
I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing two great individuals for the July/August edition of Canadian Wildlife magazine. Alana Krug-MacLeod was awarded the Youth Conservation Award and Brent Cooke the Robert Bateman Award (given to one who brings awareness and conservation through artistic work). It's always a fun yet somewhat nerve wracking challenge shooting environmental portraits on location but it's also great way to get to know someone and their unique story in brief window of time and an opportunity to showcase them in a beautiful light.
For Alana's shot we walked around the Pearson College Campus in Metchosin until we found this nice glowing Garry oak meadow. The harsh midday sun was challenge in most areas but here the leaves helped filter it. I crouched down low in the grass and used the Canon 580EXII strobe as a fill light.
For Brent's shot we trekked around some nice forest trails near his house before deciding on this beautiful mountain top arbutus scene at sunset. Here I used the last rays of sun as a rim light while shooting my Vivitar 285 strobe through a white umbrella on a light stand as a soft fill.