Video: Climbing Canada's Loneliest Tree

treewill · Jun 16, 2014

Hi all,
A few weeks back I traveled up to BC to join in the effort to climb and measure Big Lonely Doug, the second largest known douglas fir in Canada. This tree gets its name due to the fact that it sits alone in the middle of a clearcut as of late 2012.

We traveled out to the site near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island at the request of the Ancient Forest Alliance, a group that has been working to protect these magnificent temperate rainforests and the thousands of years old trees they harbor from being liquidated by the current government in Canada.

I think this tree serves as a great reminder of the bad deal that the people of Canada are getting from this irresponsible forest policy. Too often all we see is a hillside of stumps; not even enough to conjure what used to be there. Big Lonely Doug is a potent reminder of the majesty of these forests, and of our duty to care for them.

Check out the great video put together by AFA about the climb here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/v7kedlv0zeot04v/Climbing-Big-Lonely-Doug-with-Audio.mp4

See a photo album from the climb here: http://www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos.php?gID=27

And check out some of the press that the story of Big Lonely Doug has been getting: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...rs-old-still-waiting-on-help/article19064507/

Enjoy!
-Will

Adkpk · Jun 16, 2014

Nice. Thanks

guymayor · Jun 16, 2014

222'? Pass the O2, please...Wondering:
Why was Doug spared?
Evidence of lightning?
What's that plant growing in the dead top, a Rubus? Vaccinium?
Nice fern shots.

JontreeHI · Jun 16, 2014

Don't they often leave a big pole in the middle to set rigging to yard logs out? Maybe that's what Doug was for.
Cool climb will, kind of spooky with nothing else around. Thanks

treewill · Jun 17, 2014

Guy, not exactly sure, but suspecting that it has to do with a mandate to leave a certain number (in this case 1) of trees standing for wildlife. No evidence of lighting, though swollen base could be evidence of butt or root rot. There was evergreen huckleberry growing out of the top, which is quite typical even in fairly desiccated parts of the canopy.
Jon, it's very rare to see trees being used as spar poles anymore, an. If that were the case they would have de-limbed it and taken the top out. There is a cable scar at the base from where they used it as an anchor for a piece of machinery, but it should recover from that alright.

JontreeHI · Jun 17, 2014

Cool, so the site was logged fairly recently?
I guess must be, not much else growing there yet

Reg · Jun 17, 2014

Thats not far from here, I remember reading about the tree just recnetly. Hacking down an old growth forest, this day and age.....I think its appalling. I drove the back roads from lake Cowichan to Renfrew just last year between job sites. like looking at crop fields, but made up of 3rd growth trees no more than a few feet apart. Cut blocks everywhere, with a covering stumps, brush and log waste....just lying there several years since being cleared. Miles of it. Its depressing to look at, and not the image most envisage of Vancouver Island.

TreeLogic · Jun 17, 2014

Wow. That tree is a beast! Awesome footage. Thanks Will

dogwood · Jun 17, 2014

At least it's still standing, but sad, amid all that devastation. Trees a thousand years old, gone in the blink of an eye.

treewill · Jun 17, 2014

Yeah this clearcut dates from late 2012. As an Oregonian I'm certainly not surprised to see large fields of stumps, but seeing fresh stumps of 10' western red cedars really blew my mind.