Forest Conservation Program

Coastal Douglas-fir forests and associated habitats are among the most threatened ecosystems in the country.

Photo by Alex Harris /
Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Raincoast’s Forest Conservation Program is focused on addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and other human-caused stresses on Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) habitats. With a limited geographic extent, including only the southeastern edge of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and a sliver of BC’s mainland, it is essential that these ecosystems are protected and conserved before it is too late. 

Hummingbird up close.
Photo by Oliver Tweedie.
A Rough-skinned newt moves slowly over the forest floor.
Photo by Alex Harris / Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Understanding biodiversity loss, climate change, and anthropogenic impacts

Globally unique to the south coast of British Columbia, this collection of highly diverse ecosystems includes sand dunes, estuaries, Garry oak meadows, and rocky outcrops, among many other ecological communities. Forests here are characterized by tree species like coastal Douglas-fir, western red cedar, and arbutus. The CDF covers less than 1% of provincial land area, with the Salish Sea’s Gulf Islands hosting over 30% of its provincial extent.

Almost all of the original CDF forests have been logged since the early 1900s and a further 30% of second-growth has been converted to rural, urban, agricultural, and industrial use since 2008. The province’s last State of the Forests report, released in 2010, found that the CDF is BC’s most converted zone, with nearly twice the amount of deforested and fragmented land compared to the next most converted zone. This includes the province’s highest road density that profoundly fragments CDF habitats. Currently, 127 native plant and animal species characteristic to CDF ecosystems are on the provincial “Red” list. This includes iconic ecological communities  characterized by the presence of arbutus and Garry oak. Further, recent anecdotal reports of deterioration of arbutus, western redcedar, grand fir and coastal Douglas-fir indicate that climate change is already influencing these important ecosystems.

Informed advocacy and community engagement

Using Raincoast’s signature approach of informed advocacy, the Forest Conservation Program combines community engagement with science and policy review to achieve tangible conservation outcomes. Our work includes working with local Nations, civic governments, organizations, and community members to slow and reverse the destruction of these fragile, ecologically important, and culturally significant places through advocacy, community science initiatives, ecological investigation, and most recently, permanent land protection through property acquisition. Our preliminary focus is on North (S,DÁYES in the SENĆOŦEN language of the W̱SÁNEĆ) and South Pender Islands. As our work expands to other Gulf Islands, we commit to honoring the lands and culture of additional First Nations who call these Islands home. 

Oregon grape plant with rain on it.
Photo by Alex Harris / Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
Mushroom in the sun with spores flying out.
Photo by Alex Harris.

W̱SÁNEĆ territory

In the southern Gulf Islands and Saanich Peninsula, much of the Coastal Douglas-fir forests and associated habitats exist within W̱SÁNEĆ territory. These unceded lands have been inhabited by the W̱SÁNEĆ people, also known as the Saltwater or Coast Salish People, since time immemorial. Brought here by the creator, XÁLS, following the great flood, the W̱SÁNEĆ people were given the responsibility of caring for their relatives: the Islands of the Salish Sea. As such, in addition to their ecological significance, these habitats hold tremendous cultural and spiritual value.

Two ravens on a branch in a misty estuary.

The Story of the CDF

A series of articles curated by Forest Conservation Program Director Shauna Doll and contributed to by expert Traditional Knowledge Holders, ecologists, conservation scientists, social scientists, ethnobotanists, and others to increase understanding of some of the most threatened ecological communities in British Columbia.

Recent articles

Small mushroom growing among moss and lichen.

Update on KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest

With the ongoing support of our community of supporters, protecting this land in perpetuity will become a…

Purple camas flowers in a field on a sunny day with an arbutus tree in the background.

The story of Coastal Douglas-fir forests: Some of the most rare and diverse plant communities in Canada

Coastal Douglas-fir forests and associated ecosystems exist at the interface between land and water on the edge…

Shauna Doll walking between to large Coastal Douglas-fir trees.

The Pender Islands Big Tree Registry is helping property owners connect with the forest

We asked one property owner to share her experience with the Big Tree Registry.

Close up of a Belted Kingfisher with trees in the background.

Matching campaign success for KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest!

This brings our fundraising total for the first three weeks of our campaign to $152,000!

Some wee humans walk between the giant tress of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest on Pender Islands.

Progress update on KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest fundraising campaign

KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest is located on the Traditional Territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people and is home to…

Belted kingfisher sits in a tree with their head plume looking very majestic.

A chance to make your support for the protection of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest go further

Mere days into our 18-month fundraising campaign, a $75,000 matching gift has been pledged.

Three people walking through a Coastal Douglas Fir forest.

Coastal Douglas-fir Forests: Present, past, and future

It is well known among foresters and ecologists in British Columbia that the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) biogeoclimatic…

Drone photo of an intact second growth forest in the Gulf Islands.

Register for our webinar series about conservation and resilience in the Gulf Islands

more about complex environmental issues and the options for better environmental policy and protection in the Gulf…

Salmon in a glacier blue river.

Scat, tracks, and spawning salmon: following signs of wolves along the south coast

Notes from the field about a day looking for signs of wolves.

Two people measuring a Douglas-Fir tree standing in tall grass.

Ethics of making the location of big trees accessible to the public

The benefits and implications of unrestricted access to tree location need to be carefully considered.

Twilight on a gulf island in a mossy forest with ocean and mountains in the distant background.

Advancing urgently needed tree protection policy in the Islands Trust

The findings of this research were presented during a webinar and they were also compiled into a…

The report cover of the Tree Protection Bylaws in BC report hovers over a tree and a blurry house.

Report: Tree Protection Bylaws in British Columbia

This report provides an overview of municipal tree bylaws in BC highlighting ways tree bylaw components impact…

Drone photo of an intact forest with the ocean in the background on a sunny day.

Webinar: Tree Protection and the Islands Trust

We are hosting a webinar on July 28th at noon to decode the complexities of tree and…

Two people looking up at a tree with one person measuring the height of a tree using an inclinometer.

Measuring trees – introducing our new “how-to” video series

We are thrilled to be releasing video tutorials on how to measure trees that we co-created with…

Group of people walking along a mossy coastline with the ocean in the background.

Raincoast welcomes five summer team members!

We are very pleased to have five passionate students joining our team for the summer. Over the…

Two grizzly bears looking into the distance while standing in an estuary.

2021: Our impact so far

We are already halfway through the year, and I wanted to share with you some of Raincoast’s…

Drone image taken above Fairy Creek - an unlogged watershed.

Big trees, big stumps and broken promises

For the last two years, I’ve been documenting clearcut logging on Salt Spring Island, and with Raincoasts’s…

A cutblock covered in cut trees and muddy roads with a large digger on the Gulf Islands.

Cumulative impacts a serious problem for Gulf Islands forests

The Gulf Islands represent 33.2% of the provincial extent of Coastal Douglas-fir forests and associated habitats which…

A backhoe works on a cutblock on Pender Island, with remaining trees and smoke scattered around the edge.

Welcome to Pender Island, where the destruction of a globally rare ecosystem is ongoing

The Islands Trust was created to protect the unique ecosystems of BC’s Gulf Islands, without being given…

A cutblock with a stack of logs from Salt Spring Island, in the Gulf Islands.

Islands 2050: What will the Gulf Islands look like in 25 years?

The preservation and protection of BC’s Gulf Islands “for the benefit of residents of the trust area…

A giant ancient stump stands in the foreground and a barren cutblock lies behind it.

No comprehensive strategy to protect ancient forests in BC

Shauna Doll, Raincoast Gulf Islands Forest Project Coordinator, submitted a letter to The Honourable Katrine Conroy, Minister…

Three women standing 6 feet apart talking to each other in a Coastal Douglas-fir forest

Carbon stewardship workshop focusing on Gulf Islands forests and coasts

Later this month, Raincoast, along with partners, will be hosting a workshop exploring the feasibility of implementing…

Two painting float in the foreground of an out of focus fern from Flycatcher Forest.

How art will help protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

We are incredibly grateful to every person who transformed this initiative from the hopes of one person…

Wetland at the S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest with the sun in the background.

You did it: 13 acres in 3 months!

We are excited to announce that together with the Pender Islands Conservancy, we have raised the funds…

Close up photo of a cedar bough.

BC’s Coastal Douglas-fir zone needs protection now

In an era where climate change is a modern reality and biodiversity is in crisis the world…

Shauna Doll looking up at a large Douglas-Fir tree.

Permanent protection of S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest now within reach!

In November, when Raincoast teamed up with the Pender Islands Conservancy to purchase 13-acres of Coastal Douglas…

A Coastal Douglas-fir landscape.

Volunteering with the Big Tree Registry

Taeven Lopatecki volunteering with the Big Tree Registry is a way of quantifiably supporting conservation and awareness…

Misty MacDuffee and Chris Genovali looking up at a very large cedar tree in a cedar grove.

The home stretch to permanently protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

It was in late November when we launched our initiative to purchase and permanently protect the S,DÁYES…

A Flycatcher sits on top of a tree surrounded by snow, wearing a Santa hat.

All we want for Christmas is an olive-sided flycatcher in a Douglas-fir tree

With the end of 2020 approaching, we need your help in providing BC’s Coastal Douglas-fir forests with…

Ariel view of S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

Explore S’DÁYES Flycatcher Forest: Webinar, video and fundraising update

On December 1st, Raincoast and Pender Islands Conservancy announced a match funding campaign in support of protecting…

A small fern sits in the dark wet lush forest of the Flycatcher Forest.

Help permanently protect the S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest this December

One week into the fundraising campaign for the S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest initiative, the Pender Islands Conservancy and…

Cover of the Environmental Law report from UVic (ELC) floating over a photo of a tree stump.

Report: Legal Measures to Protect the Gulf Islands Coastal Douglas-fir Zone

A review from the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and Environmental Law Centre (ELC) at the University of Victoria…

A tiny songbird rests for a moment on a root at S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest.

Announcing Raincoast’s newest conservation initiative

In partnership with the Pender Islands Conservancy, we need to raise $395,000 to purchase a 13 acre…

Measuring tree heights with lasers

Measuring tree heights with lasers

Measuring the heights of trees in the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) zone is quite a feat. In mature…

Shauna Doll looks up while she big tree hunting on Salts Spring.

Big tree hunting on Salt Spring Island

Earlier this month I spent two beautiful days on the coast of the Salish Sea, hunting for…

A path winds its way up a hill through a forest into the light.

A winter on S,DÁYES in a future ancient forest

The term “management” is often preceded by “resource” and thus implies a process resulting in economically beneficial…

Roe Lake on North Pender, on a blue sky day.

Protecting the evergreen giants at the edge of the sea

The rainshadow region, extending across the southeastern coast of Vancouver Island from Metchosin to Deep Bay; covering…

Juvenile killer whale and mother off the coast of British Columbia.

National Energy Board’s failure haunts governments

The cries of condemnation emanating from the Alberta and Canadian federal governments are deafening. The burgeoning conflict…

Raincoaster Nathalie Chambers in a canoe.

Action dispels despair: Turning the tide

Join Raincoast’s Nathalie Chambers and Lori Waters for the 2015 Peoples Paddle for the Salish Sea…

A black wolf runs toward the camera

B.C.’s torturous wolf management

British Columbians are likely unaware their tax dollars are supporting not only the killing but also the…

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