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I am too old to tie myself to a tree in order to protect it from loggers, as do so many good people who believe in the conservation of old-growth forests. However, I am able to post my objections here on my own blog.
These dignified old-growth trees are so large it is often impossible for a hiker to see the sky. They form a wilderness cathedral for those who believe in conservation rather than destruction, decimation, annihilation, devastation and destruction.
“The old-growth forest and lichen-covered rocky outcrops on Juniper Ridge are endangered, sensitive ecosystems growing on extremely thin soils. It would take centuries for the old-growth forest to fully recover here after logging. With the trend of harvesting smaller sized trees with shorter logging rotations, these old growth Douglas Fir ecosystems will never have the chance to return.”
“This forest is heavily used by wintering deer, and was intended to be preserved for this purpose.”
Those are the words used by experts in ecology who, like me and so many of my friends, mourn the looming loss of giants in British Columbia's old-growth forests, on the mainland and on Canada's offshore islands, especially on Vancouver Island where logging companies have grabbed up so much of the land.
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| BC is home to some of the largest, oldest and most impressive trees in the world, but many of them are not yet protected. (British Columbia Magazine) |
The only options open to protesters used to be forming human chains to block logging trucks and stand up to the loggers, and to send letters (which may or not get printed) to newspapers— but now environmentalists can send e-mails to editors, and can twitter and tweet to give voices to the animals and birds who live in these forests but cannot tweet for themselves.
Tweeting is popular with some very powerful people now, so why shouldn't bird-lovers join the chorus? I must admit I don't know how to tweet, although of course I blog, and I also use Facebook, so now I beseech the tweeters among you to tweet to give voices to the birds in the trees.
If the trees are still standing, that is. If they haven't gone the way of the dinosaur.
I am trying, here, to be as calm and rational as I can, but the words "rape" and "pillage" come to mind, and might offend readers of my blog. However, I have reached old age without changing my opinions on environmental matters, so I want to do something, somehow, while I still have the time. And there are so many environmental matters!
We haven't done much traveling lately, so I am using my blog as a platform for protest. Bear with me, blogging buddies...I will have other topics sometimes, you can be sure.
Sky Watch Friday
27 comments:
Thanks for this, Kay. I was unaware of this tree and clearcut and will check it out when i get home.
Even saving giants like this and clear cutting up to it is a problem. The trees become more susceptible to wind and storm damage. The also make nature's lightning rod standing all alone. If you've read "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben there is evidence that trees communicate and share resources with their forest partners. That can't happen standing alone. I'm not against logging companies. I believe the one in our area, Western Forest Products, uses good harvest and reforestation practices. They are also very good about communicating with the public. - Margy
Hari OM
This might be the one and only occasion I wished I twittered. I don't and truthfully speaking, shall be ensuring that I never will. That doesn't mean I don't support your protest Kay. Oh to hug one of those beauties... YAM xx
It's sad to see the oldest trees go, whether naturally or by man. I want to think that should they all before our time that won't be the end of Mother Nature. All the good we've done the last 40-50 years in terms of governmental regulations is getting undone by the current administration, unfortunately. Hopefully that won't matter. And not everyone will give up and abuse the Earth.
Hey you know, your blog is your voice and I have found out that even my humble little blog is read by more people than I thought.
I love capitalism but it needs to be regulated. Otherwise all the trees get cut very efficiently. It is okay to preserve old growth forests for future generations.
Great post. Keep speaking out.
That's beautiful.
Hello, hubby and I are both lovers of the old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. The Koch Brothers own the 2nd biggest company (Georgia-Pacific) in the northwest that logs, it is always about the rich getting richer. They do not think of what they are leaving behind for generations to come. Happy Friday, enjoy your day and weekend!
Magnificent tree and photo of it ~ Gorgeous!
Happy Weekend to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I agree with you 100%. There must be better options. So short-sighted to chop down these majestic giants. Reminds me of a movie I watched recently with my granddaughter called The Lorax... a simplified but well done children's movie about the importance of saving trees and clean air.
Marvelous captures of those phenomenal trees!
I don't tweet, either, but I do hope that public opinion will sway those who want to take down these beauties.
Keep speaking out your beliefs. I am on twitter, and I have tweeted your protest. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
@ Magiceye... I wish I could claim to have taken the photos of the majestic forest giants, but it wouldn't be true. Thanks for your comment! — Kay
We have many many trees and forests in my neck of the woods but not nearly as large as virgin growth and/or second growth. We live on the edge of a 15,000 acre (or so I am told) tree farm. They do log here but judiciously and clean up and replant. I know it is not saving the giants but we are several generations too late.
MB
Beautiful tree - so much history! Such a shame when loggers want to cut them down. Trees like this one should definitely be protected!
Never seen such giant trees! I hope your protest will add strength and voice to stop them!
Those are such amazing trees. While we obviously need logging, it's inexcusable to keep going through the old-growth forests; we need to move to a sustainable model.
Majestic!
It's precious -- like the coastal redwoods.
Lovely pictures, Kay.
The forest giants are amazing trees to see. I wish the companies that harvest and cut them down could take a look at the future and see what an impact they have caused. We all need to speak our voice so it can be heard.
Oh, dear girl, feel free to use rape and pillage and plunder and ravage and any other words you can think of that might help stop this kind of waste. Unfortunately, there are some folks on this earth for whom "more" is a mantra. And for no good reason.
Hi there, I made it back to your blog and this time had the good sense to start following you. Love your updates and insights. See you back here soon!! Jackie at TravelnWrite
it is a pity to see this. It is the same in Sweden. They cut great forsest just to earn a few bucks. Makes me sad for us all.
wonderful sky and what a giant! 18m in circumference! wow! unfortunately money comes first.
Hi Kay, This is a wonderful post and I commend you on expressing your concerns about the environment. I suppose people would call me a “tree hugger.” I would rather see the Cheewhat Giant preserved and protected than cut down for someone’s ability to profit from it. It seems to me that we are at a point in human development where we should give more thought to today’s actions that will, in the long run, hurt all of us. It’s like our crazy President who pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accord. He would rather remove regulations that protect the environment, so that corporations can maximize their profits today, rather than protect the air that keeps us alive. Go figure. Thanks for another fine post and for your kind comments on my blog. Wishing you a good week ahead! John
The comparison of sizes: tree-human can guess, with which giants one has to do it. An excellent photo and really impressive.
At this time I feel the protest has moved from being desirable, to be being nearly compulsory! We have similar issues here with the felling of old growth forest. Great post.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Keep it up Kay! Thank you for doing it. I added my small voice to my post this week and wish I were able to do more. Usually for my own sanity I try to keep blogging as my happy place, but what I usually blog about is nature which is my real-life happy place. And that natural world as we know it is probably not going to be there for our great grandkids if things continue as they are.
There is so very much wrong with what is going on in this country because of our horrible 'tweeter-in-chief' , but I concentrate my resistance on the what they are doing to our environment. Some of the rest of the evil he and his cohorts are doing can maybe r than later be undone (hopefully sooner than later), but the damage to our earth is permanent.
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