A Vanishing Heritage: The Loss of Ancient Red Cedar

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Authored by: John Nelson
Partners: Western Canada Wilderness Committee

Biodiversity British Columbia, conservation, industry, land use, Indigenous Peoples, forests

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) is profoundly important to coastal Indigenous people and the coastal temperate forest ecosystem. This report revealed that in 20 forest management areas on the B.C. coast, a much greater amount of red cedar is being logged than its proportion within the forest inventory. This report examines the extent to which red cedar is being logged on the B.C. coast, and looks at what will happen if current practices continue.