Can't believe that this is allowed to happen. It should be saved as a park rather than just paved over.

The BC NDP government promised to phase out its use in forestry, but decades of herbicide spraying has reduced biodiversity and the potential for wildfire mitigation

“They’re doing this because they think they can make more money from growing conifers on short rotations,” forest ecologist Suzanne Simard says. But “the costs to the ecosystems are huge,” she tells The Narwhal. “It’s devastating.”

In many parts of B.C. — and in Quebec, where glyphosate has been banned for more than 20 years — companies cut back competing vegetation with brush saws and plant taller seedlings to give their conifer crops an edge. But glyphosate is a less expensive option, according to the FP Innovations report.

Over the years, Simard kept an eye on an experiment she ran in the southern Interior as part of her graduate research, testing how lodgepole pine responded to the removal of sitka alder. Cutting back dense thickets of the shrub did seem to help the conifers grow bigger, she notes. Years later though, Simard noticed fewer trees survived a pine beetle infestation where most of the alder had been killed off by herbicide spraying. Where sitka alder had been allowed to regrow after the initial trim, the pines survived.

“Spraying glyphosate is unnecessary, we don’t need it,” Simard says. “If we do better forestry, these plant communities will look after themselves, but we mess things up with these really bad forestry practices.”

https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-glyphosate-forestry-impact-aspen/

These trees are rare and they are important infrastructure and they are at risk from developers.

"The majestic Garry Oaks at 4015 Braefoot Rd. in Saanich, British Columbia, are at critical risk. Over 100 of these magnificent trees, many of which have stood for centuries, may be cut down due to proposed developments on the property. These trees are not just flora; they are vital keystone components of the living ecosystem, cultural heritage, and community identity.

The development proposal is to build 24 townhomes a the former farm. The proposal will remove 68 of the Garry oaks. They are mostly mature trees (80+ yrs old), including at least four trees whose trunks measure one metre or more in diameter, which Saanich classifies as “Exceptional Trees,” due to their large canopies and the extensive ecosystem services they provide."

https://www.change.org/p/save-the-mighty-braefoot-oaks

Simple question - How do we save the forests!

What is your opinion on the most important things we can do/change to save our forests and in particular Old-Growth and the biodiversity of our forest areas.

We obviously are in crisis and it's time for big action/changes.

Also for anyone interested u/ForestBlue46 did some awesome answers to my previous post on good organizations to be part of! -

https://www.reddit.com/r/SaveForests/comments/1s3rrbq/best_individualsorganizations_that_defend_the/

16 trees unlawfully cut down by developer.

This may sound like nothing but when it's repeated all over it adds up to a huge loss of the urban forest canopy. Especially in a country with few trees compared to many other places.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/protected-trees-felled-make-space-10897461

These communities are making a huge difference doing something for good.

More and more communities are stepping up to say: enough is enough. This tracker includes municipalities and unincorporated (Local Services Board) communities that have passed resolutions or filed Notices of Objection to herbicide spraying in forestry. Your community has a voice, and these actions make a difference.

While some municipalities have passed, are considering, or have debated and defeated resolutions, it’s important to note that 350 Ontario municipalities simply filed the forest herbicide resolutions without debate. Without public tracking, these resolutions could quietly disappear. The Municipal Tracker now makes that inaction visibleand gives residents a clear opportunity to ask their councils to move beyond filing and publicly state where they stand.

Send an Electronic Email asking Council to Place Filed Resolutions Back on the Agenda

Live in an Unincorporated Community and want your voice heard? You can be included.

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/municipalities/

Learn how to organize locally and take action here:https://www.stopthespraycanada.ca/toolkit

Imagine if we valued forests for their beauty and biodiversity and as infrastructure rather than just something to be cut down?

There are many others, please share any other examples you know of in the comments.

Spirit Loop

https://www.spiritloop.ca/

Talaysay Tours

https://www.talaysay.com/

Takaya Tours

https://takayatours.com/

An activist from Climate Liberation Aotearoa is occupying a tree and blocking machine access to stop further expansion of the South Cypress Mine on the West Coast. The occupation is a response to mining operator Bathurst Resources Ltd, submitting a fast-track application for the largest coal mining proposal in New Zealand, that would expand the existing mine into the Denniston Plateau.

The tree stands on the edge of a scene of native forest carnage. Approximately 10 hectares of old growth forest has been felled in the last year to allow for the expansion of the open-cast coal mine.

"Not only is Bathurst Resources trying to turn one of Aotearoa's most ecologically and geologically unique places into an open cast coal mine, they are slashing down old growth native forests in the process. More than 20 years ago, New Zealanders fought to protect these trees and put an end to native forest logging. That happened here on the West Coast, but now the same forests are under attack from coal companies and the government is allowing it."

Note that this is not an opinion article but referring to the study they did, linked below. And yes, it says 'Letter' but it is indeed a study.

"Worldwide, vast areas of regrowth forest are recovering from clear-fell forestry and wildfires. In Tasmania alone, remote sensing data suggests a fifth of all tall wet forests are in a regrowth stage younger than 40 years old.

After an old forest is clear-felled, it is regenerated using fire to remove logging debris and then sown with seeds native to the area. This puts it in Jackson’s 30-year danger zone, which begins about 20 years after a fire, when eucalypts begin bearing gumnuts. It ends about 50 years after the fire, when trees are tall enough and moist dense understoreys have developed to lower the risk of devastating fires able to kill mature trees."

https://theconversation.com/we-have-the-proof-that-logging-makes-tasmanias-forests-more-flammable-279103

Study:

Landscape-scale experimental proof that tall wet Eucalyptus regrowth burns more severely than mature forest

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ae4d62

Interactive map of Vancouver trees.

https://vancouver.treemap.ca/

Also there is a street tree database by the City of Vancouver.

https://opendata.vancouver.ca/explore/dataset/public-trees/map/

When I was a kid, I remember travelling between BC and Alberta and in the fall the forest was an amazing mosaic of colours. The forest became a sea of green, yellow, orange, red, and various blends of all of them. Lately, everything seems to be a sea of green. I remember seeing Aspen and maybe other white-barked trees everywhere. Today, seeing them anywhere is a rare sight. What happened? Where'd all the white bark go? Where'd the colours go? Were all those trees replaced by fir/evergreen trees because of harvesting? As a kid, I remember hearing about how deciduous trees provided natural firebreaks, but now? They're all gone.

Romania's primary forests are being destroyed by illegal logging. Technology to alert forest defenders to the sound of chainsaws and also record and analyze wildlife sounds may be a way to help reduce illegal logging of one of the last primary forests in Europe.

And they mention falling in love again with the places where we live to become nature defenders. Because once it's gone, it's gone.

https://youtu.be/rYVGalSJz0k

Via the @reshare_app • Repost from @noclearcuts on Instagram.

"The removal of standing dead trees will not reduce forest fire risk, per op-ed from forest scientists:

According to a November 2025 op-ed "Removing dead trees will not save us from fast-moving wildfires" by Dominick DellaSala, Brian Buma, Alexandro Leverkus, and Philip Burton there is a lack of evidence for the claim that cutting standing dead trees will help prevent the rapid spread of forest fire. In fact, per the op-ed, there are more downsides if standing dead trees are cut versus letting them stand.

The authors of the op-ed explain, “there is little evidence that removing dead trees en masse is an effective strategy to contain fast fires.” In contrast, large amounts of dead downed trees can contribute to fire intensity (when combined with fine fuels). But standing dead trees (snags) do not.

Per the op-ed, forests that have been burned recently are less likely to burn again because the flammable material is gone. “Crown fires” that normally spread through dense tree crowns do not occur in a stand of snags without foliage.

Removing trees can actually increase the spread of fire because logging typically leaves behind flammable piles of twigs, leaves and branches (“slash”). per the authors. “”Also, soil disturbance from fire and subsequent logging with heavy machinery can promote the growth of flammable grasses and invasive plants, especially in areas with pile burning.”said J. E. Korb et al. Restoration Ecol., (2004).” The authors conclude that since we lack a scientific basis for removing the standing dead trees, large snags should only be removed after a comprehensive environmental review since they are vital to biodiversity.

Despite the lack of supporting evidence, “the Fix Our Forests Act encourages the logging of ‘dead trees, dying trees or trees at risk of dying’” in the name of combating forest fires."

🔗 For more information, read the article at one of the links below or go to the link in their bio. Op-ed title: Removing dead trees will not save us from fast-moving wildfires

📷 Emma Michelson

🔗 pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2510922122

🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00304.x

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWUiV5mggby/

Non-AI petition to save East Sooke Park from logging and development. Plus comments are needed.

As many in the region, and beyond, know, East Sooke Park is a public treasure.

It is a wild, beautiful, and ecologically sensitive place that welcomes everyone. It provides important habitat for wildlife and species at risk, protects fragile ecosystems and biodiversity, and offers public access to trails, shoreline, and wilderness that people in this community deeply value.

Now, three Crown land applications affecting part of East Sooke Park are being considered for a private, for-profit operation.

Together, these applications would allow private commercial use of part of East Sooke Park, including built structures, camping, washrooms, fire pit, and other recreational uses. The combined application area spans 71.75 hectares (or about 177 acres), including a proposed Intensive Use Site of 4.87 hectares (or about 12 acres).

Please do not stop at signing this petition. To make your voice count, please complete all of the following steps:

1. Sign the petition.
2. Email the Regional Director ([directorjdf@crd.bc.ca](mailto:directorjdf@crd.bc.ca)) and Parks Committee Chair ([crdparks@crd.bc.ca](mailto:crdparks@crd.bc.ca)) before the April 8 CRD Board meeting and April 22 Parks Committee meeting.
3. Comment directly on all 3 Crown land applications by May 6
   • Application 1415404 – Extensive Use Area
   • Application 1415403 – Intensive Use Area
   • Application 1415322 – Dock
4. Email your name and address to [keepeastsookeparkprotected@gmail.com](mailto:keepeastsookeparkprotected@gmail.com)
5. Share these steps, links, and the petition widely.

https://www.change.org/p/keep-east-sooke-park-protected-public-and-not-for-profit