Elders for old-growth
Celebrating the people who have created a legacy of speaking up for nature and inspiring the next generation to do the same.
When you look at a forest, what do you see? Do you see different shapes, colours, textures, sizes, heights, and ages? Do you see how all of these differences – the diversity – work together and make the forest healthy, strong, and resilient?
When we imagine a healthy forest ecosystem, we envision abundant biodiversity working together at all ecological levels. We also might imagine forest succession – a big, old tree that was once an early pioneer on the landscape hundreds of years ago, now fallen to the ground and becoming a nurse log for new saplings to grow and seed the next generation of trees, while sharing all its stored nutrients with the forest floor.
The characteristics of biodiverse forest ecosystems share many parallels with those that make our local communities healthy, strong, and resilient. One important parallel is the role old-growth trees and seniors play in our communities – both hold knowledge and experience, both are teachers and listeners, and both shape and inspire the next generation.
Recently, we joined our partners from the Pender Islands Conservancy to celebrate and spend time with the seniors in the community who simultaneously parallel and protect old-growth forests. Many of the seniors in attendance were those who championed the Pender Islands Big Tree Registry and helped make significant contributions to the registry by measuring and nominating big trees. It was a great day to reflect on their contributions to protecting Pender Islands’ big trees and old-growth, while also inspiring the community to continue to do the same.
Big tree measuring blitz
To start our day of big tree celebrations on S,DÁYES (Pender Islands), we gathered at a rather fitting location – a nature reserve that was protected due to the number of large diameter trees on the landscape. Several seniors who were experienced tree measurers, as well as new folks of all ages – even as young as 5 years old – spent the morning learning together and sharing their experiences.
We learned how to measure big trees and all about the different tools and methods used in the measuring process. Working in groups, we practiced our skills on 100+ year old arbutus and douglas-fir in the nature reserve. Calculating tree heights proved to be the most challenging measurement, but by working together as a team and learning from experienced senior measurers, we were able to problem-solve.
What question would you ask a big tree?
After measuring our last tree, we gathered in a circle and took a moment to reflect on the question, “what would you ask a big tree?” Many of us expressed that we’d first like to share our apologies with the tree about how its neighbours were cut down and how its habitat has been threatened by human activities.
Many questions to ask the tree surrounding the theme of community and people arose, such as “who has come to visit you, and what did you witness”, “what did this landscape look like 100 years ago”, and “what plant, tree, and wildlife neighbours have come and gone”.
Taking this time to reflect, spend time with the tree, and acknowledge its over a century of life in the forest was a gentle but potent reminder of the unique life history held by each individual tree in the forest, and similarly, held by the people in our communities.
Keep a button, give a button
On the theme of knowledge sharing and community inspiration, measurers left the morning event with big tree champion buttons. Taking with them a few each, one to keep and wear and some to give away, our freshly minted big tree champions were challenged to share the buttons and their experiences with people of all generations in the S,DÁYES or broader Salish Sea community.
By wearing and sharing the buttons, they will spark conversations and inspire new people to learn about old-growth forest protection, how to measure trees, and how to participate in big tree registries. While simple in approach, it is an accessible way for seniors in the community to amplify their impact, share their knowledge, and engage with their community all by wearing a conversation starter that opens dialogue about one of their passions.
We encourage all big tree champion button wearers to show us how they are wearing their buttons and participating in old-growth and big tree stewardship in their communities!
Mural unveiling with artist Nicole Wolf
Later in the day, we gathered at the Hope Bay Nature Centre to unveil a new mural installation commissioned by the Pender Islands Conservancy. Calgary-based artist Nicole Wolf has previously taken residency on S,DÁYES and created the mural “Saltmother” which is hosted in the Hope Bay Nature Centre. Following the success of her first mural and warm embrace by the local community, Nicole Wolf recently returned to S,DÁYES, once again taking up residency and creating a second companion mural to tell a new story.
In her new mural, Nicole Wolf explores the themes of forest and human connections in the shape of old-growth trees, taking inspiration from local Pender forest defender and self-proclaimed octogenarian, Lisa Baile. A steadfast land steward who can outpace anyone on the steepest of hikes, Lisa Baile is a S,DÁYES icon and the quintessential muse for a forest-elder-inspired mural. Hearing how Lisa inspired Nicole’s artistic process was incredibly full circle because Lisa was also an early champion of our Elders for old-growth initiative, writing a letter of support to help us secure funding to even make this day a reality.
Now proudly hanging in the Hope Bay Nature Centre, this mural will inspire generations to come to follow the legacy of those that came before them and embrace the parallels between our human and forest communities. It will serve as a reminder of all we can do to make our home communities healthy, strong, and resilient. When we look to nature as a teacher that we can connect with and learn from, in the same way we look to our elders, generation after generation will carry on the stewardship ethos modelled by our S,DÁYES seniors.
Thank you to our partners and supporters
Thank you to the New Horizons for Seniors program for funding this initiative. Thank you to our Pender Islands community partners: the Pender Islands Conservancy, Pender Forest Defenders, and Pender Earth, for your continued support. Thank you to Nicole Wolf for creating an outstanding piece of art that will inspire generations of people to protect old-growth forests and knowledge from community elders alike. Thank you to Tal Engel from WolfTree Integrated Forest Rehabilitation for sharing your tree-measuring expertise. Finally, a big shoutout goes to Six Cent Press for bringing my last-minute vision for big tree champion buttons to life in under 48 hours!
