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Comparison maps of old-growth forest cover on Vancouver Island
The most recent photo analysis based on 2004 LandSat satellite images shows that:
- 73% of the original productive old-growth forests of Vancouver Island have been logged. ie. 27% remained by 2004.
- 87% of the original productive old-growth forests on southern Vancouver Island, south of Barkley Sound/Alberni Canal, have been logged. ie.13% remains
- 90% of the low elevation (less than 300 meters above sea level), flat (less than 17% slope) ancient forests, such as the valley bottoms, where the largest trees grow and the greatest biodiversity resides, have been logged. ie. 10% remains
- Only 6% of Vancouver Island's productive forest lands are protected in our parks system.
- Only 1% of the original old-growth Coastal Douglas fir zone remains.
- Less than 1% of the original very dry eastern Coastal Western Hemlock forests are protected.
- Only 2% of the original very dry western Coastal Western Hemlock forests are protected.
Click on maps for larger versions
Maps courtesy of the Sierra Club
Forest cover on Vancouver Island in 1860
(prior to European settlement). |
Forest cover on Vancouver Island in 2004. The yellow areas were previously logged and are now second-growth forests, clearcuts, agricultural lands, and urban developments. |
Forest cover on southern Vancouver Island in 1860. |
Forest cover on southern Vancouver Island in 2004. |
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