Maps reveal how little old-growth forest remains
Vancouver Island's Old-growth forests in 1860
Click on image to enlarge
Vancouver Island's Old-growth forests in 2004
Click on image to enlarge
The maps here contrast the extent of Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests as they existed in 1860 and in 2004, the latest year that our researchers have Landsat satellite photos for Vancouver Island. Researchers have found that old-growth forests show up in darker green shades in satellite photos while second-growth forests show up as lighter green. This has proven to be quite an accurate way to map where old-growth and younger forests are located today.
Vancouver Island's Forest Types
Click on image to enlarge
Not all Old-Growth Forests are the Same
Low productivity old-growth forests (BROWN on the maps) refer to old-growth forests with very slow growth rates. These include coastal bog forests, scrubby forests on rocky sites, and snow forests (ie. the Mountain Hemlock zone) found near the tops of mountains. Low productivity old-growth forests are usually unprofitable to log and they regenerate very slowly and poorly if they are logged. Unfortunately snow forests are increasingly being logged in recent times for their ancient giant yellow-cedars, which can live to be over 18 centuries old!
Productive old-growth forests (GREEN on the maps), also called “ancient” forests, are where moderate to fast growth rates result in massive trees and lush undergrowth. Old-growth Sitka spruce and Douglas-fir trees can approach 90 meters in height while old-growth redcedars can reach 18 meters in circumference! Productive old-growth forests have been targeted for cutting ever since industrial logging commenced on Vancouver Island in the 1860s.
Second-growth forests (YELLOW on the maps, which also includes cities and farmland) are where the timber industry has previously logged the old-growth forests. Most second-growth forests are on productive sites.
