B.C. extends protections for Fairy Creek watershed [Video]

The British Columbia government has approved a legal order to extend temporary protections to an old-growth forest on Vancouver Island even as Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar acknowledges RCMP are investigating reports of tree spiking in the Fairy Creek watershed.

Parmar says he was informed of the reports last week, calling the news of tree spiking — which involves inserting a metal rod or spike at the base of the trunk where a logger may cut — “incredibly alarming.”

He says the act is a “dangerous criminal activity” that puts health and safety of forestry workers at risk, adding that the province immediately notified both the forestry licensee and the local First Nation, while confirming the RCMP is investigating.

The logging deferral extension to Sept. 30, 2026, applies to the order that was first issued in 2021 at the request of the Pacheedaht First Nation, whose territories encompass the entire …