At threat – more ancient interior rainforest, home to endangered caribou

*Eddie stands next to one of the ancient giant cedars slated to by logged, photo by Bailey Repp*

Three years ago, East Kooteney forest campaigner, Eddie Petryshen, with the environmental group Wildsight, brought to attention logging proposed in the Upper Seymour watershed. Thanks to his efforts and opposition from First Nations and the public, these plans were shelved. Now there is a new proposal to log in the same area by forest companies Stella Jones and Pacific Woodtech. This area is also key habitat for the endangered mountain caribou that spend part of the year here feeding on shrubs and lichens.

*The Upper Seymour River valley, provincial park at the top, photo by Bailey Repp*

The major threat to these caribou is from habitat loss and alteration, while the immediate threat is predation by wolves that follow the moose who are attracted by the feed available in fresh cutblocks and young tree plantations. This area was logged over thirty years ago and the planted spruce trees have grown tall and filled out reducing the feed for moose, thus making the area safer for caribou.

*The spruce plantations are growing quickly where the ancient red cedars and hemlock trees once stood, photo by Jim Cooperman*

Decades ago, there were nine caribou herds between the Upper Seymour River and the U.S. border and today, all that remain are this herd of 209 animals and another small herd in the central Selkirks. Logging in their habitat could be the last straw for these caribou.

*Mountain Caribou, photo by David Moskowitz*

Less than 12 percent of the rare antique interior cedar-hemlock rainforest remains, with just a small percentage of it protected in parks. The B.C. government has pledged to protect ancient forests by creating deferral areas, but their promises ring hollow as many of these deferrals are in areas already protected.

Last week I journeyed up to the Upper Seymour to meet Eddie, his partner and photographer Bailey and a Kamloops based journalist to see first-hand where the logging is proposed. I was amazed at the size of the trees growing back in the cutblocks. While these new spruce forests are impressive, the ancient cedar-hemlock forest ecosystem they replace is now gone forever. Walking along the road, Eddie spotted a caribou scat in the middle of the road and in the forest, he pointed out the false boxwood that the caribou feed on in the summer and fall.

*Mountain caribou scat, photo by Jim Cooperman*

We first visited one of the proposed cutblocks that was cancelled and close to it is a new one with ribbons and painted trees. There are many creeks and waterfalls here and the trees are massive. We did our best to avoid the devils club as we trekked up the hills and climbed over massive, downed trees that now serve as nurse logs, with small trees growing out of them.

*Water levels are low in the many creeks in this valley due to the drought, photo by Jim Cooperman*

Eddie and Bailey are passionate about these forests and the caribou, which they have seen occasionally during these field trips. When he is not in the field, he spends long hours studying maps, meeting with other advocates, First Nations and politicians, writing press releases to campaign for old growth protection. Their efforts have worked in the past to help protect thousands of hectares of ancient forests and hopefully, it will again.

*Eddie explains to us how the caribou require this low elevation habitat now threatened by logging, photo by Bailey Repp*

After we hiked through the proposed clearcuts, we decided to make an attempt to trek into the nearby Upper Seymour River Provincial Park, which I along with the Shuswap Environmental Action Society worked hard to help protect in the 1990s, as is documented in the book “Big Trees Saved” by Deanna Kawatski. The last time I visited the park was in 2012, when we were able to mountain bike down the road that was filling in with alders.

Using machetes and a mini-electric chainsaw, we slowly made our way down the former road cutting out the alders that were blocking the route. After nearly two hours, it was apparent that we were only halfway there and thus had to turn around. One day, with more helpers, we could try again, as it is doubtful that BC Parks will ever visit the park, let alone clear a trail.