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The Vanishing of Totem Trees
Voracious clearcut logging in British Columbia (BC) has resulted in the near extermination of
totem trees, of monumental red cedars and other aboriginal heritage trees. Already two thirds of the ancient forests of
Haida Gwaii have been clearcut logged. In 2004, the Council of the Haida Nation won a Supreme Court of Canada case against
Weyerhaeuser, following which the American logging company abandoned its operations on Haida Gwaii. In March 2005, to
protest the $1.2 billion sale of timber and real estate assets from Weyerhaeuser to Brascan, Haida and non Haida activists
blockaded public roads on Haida Gwaii, preventing access to Weyerhaeuser and to the BC Forest Service. Haida Jaalen
Edenshaw stapled "Seized" notices on the cedar logs in Weyerhaeuser's depot (right). |
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Weyerhaeuser logs, Haida Gwaii, 2005
Photo: Simon Davis |
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