Trees of breathtaking size surround us, draped with moss and lichen, as droplets of water sparkle on the tips of endless foliage.
Decaying fallen trees have created a multi-layered understory that ensnares our group, until a fern-lined stream bed offers a clearer path toward our goal — a mass of silvery wood that vanishes, then reappears, fleeting in the kaleidoscope of green.
Now the serenity of the forest envelopes us, soothing our nerves and offering a comforting sense of smallness among the massive trees.The tree is part of a generation that experts worry may represent the last of the giants as climate change jeopardizes their descendants' ability to survive the centuries to come.
To find such a tree would"show the world that this is still living," Spratt says."We can still protect something." Looking through the forest canopy, we see the waters ofBarkley Sound — but also clear-cut logging no more than 100 metres away.The group interprets the marking to be the rough estimate of the tree's diameter by the timber cruisers who hadn't had time to properly measure it.
That diameter is closer to five metres. If verified, Spratt's measurement means the giant is among the 15 widest-known trees in Canada, he says.Spratt says he thought he'd feel disappointed by a measurement under six metres, instead he feels invigorated and inspired to continue searching.Indeed, after reviewing his photos in the days after the trip, Spratt has begun to wonder whether the true record-breaking tree may have been hiding in plain sight.
Clambering through cut blocks, our group saw several wooden platforms for helicopters to land and hoist out massive, felled trees. One of the tools Herringer uses to help preserve old giants is BC Timber Sales' coastal legacy tree program, which covers four species and uses smaller benchmark diameters than the provincial regulation.
I hear yelling and attempts to scare the big cat away. But it is aggressive and refuses to leave, even after being pelted with baseball-sized rocks. Judith Sayers is president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council representing 14 First Nations on Vancouver Island. She says old-growth forests carry knowledge, and one of their most important teachings is sharing the conditions they need to thrive.Old-growth forests produce medicines that can't be found anywhere else, and the largest trees are used to build canoes, welcoming figures, totems and long houses, says Sayers, the former chief of the Hupacasath First Nation based in Port Alberni.
To give the giants of the future a fighting chance, Aitken says it's important to protect areas where trees have the potential to grow for centuries to come. Industrial logging has also degraded soils,fungal networks and other key elements needed to support the biggest trees, Price adds.Still, old forests are more resilient than younger counterparts, Price says. There may be some coastal ecosystems where future giants have a chance to grow, provided they retain enough moisture and avoid destructive storms and fires.
It looked healthy, with reddish-brown bark, foliage bursting from a crown of branches, and at least two separate, smaller trees growing from its flared base.
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