Land defenders make a stand against old-growth logging on Vancouver Island

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🗞️ Driving the news: About 20 activists blockaded a logging road near Port Renfrew, British Columbia, this week to stop a company from cutting old-growth trees, reviving the decades-long "War in the Woods" fight over Vancouver Island's temperate rainforest.

🔭 The context: British Columbia’s coastal old-growth forests contain some of the largest and most carbon-rich trees on Earth, including ancient western red cedars and Douglas firs that can be hundreds or even thousands of years old
• Industrial logging has removed most of Vancouver Island’s productive old-growth forests
• Scientists estimate that only around 415,000 hectares consist of highly productive forests capable of producing the largest trees
• The government has deferred or protected millions of hectares since 2021, but critics argue that many protections are temporary while logging continues in other areas. At the same time, the province is seeking to maintain forestry jobs and increase timber production.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Old-growth coastal temperate rainforest stores exceptionally dense carbon and supports biodiversity found almost nowhere else
• The ecosystem type covers barely half a percent of Earth's land surface, making each remaining stand disproportionately significant for climate mitigation and habitat protection alike.

⏭️ What's next: The conflict is likely to intensify as temporary protections expire and governments face pressure from both forestry workers and conservation groups
• The key question is whether British Columbia can transition toward a forestry model based more heavily on second-growth forests, ecosystem protection and alternative economic opportunities

💬 One quote: "There's nothing left — it's practically naked, bare. There's few remnants here and there, and so we have to save what we can." — Bill Jones, 86, Pacheedaht First Nation elder

📈 One stat: Coastal temperate rainforests cover barely half a percent of Earth's land surface; more than 850 people were arrested during the original 1993 "War in the Woods" protests

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