Photos of ancient tree felled in Canada spark anger among activists.
They say vulnerable ecosystems are being put at risk as logging companies rush to cut down trees, before logging rules in the country become stricter.
In an effort to preserve old-growth forests, TJ Watt and his colleague Ian Thomas of the environmental group Ancient Forest Alliance traveled to a site where red cedars have grown for hundreds of years on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
Shortly after their arrival on the island, the debate really heated up. In the forest there were hundreds of recently felled trees.
– It’s absolutely sickening to see the trees lying on the ground and to think that they have lived for over 500 years. Suddenly, they can disappear in an instant, never to be seen again, Watt explains according to The Guardian.
Watt’s images were used to highlight the dramatic change in landscapes where trees are cut down. He is particularly interested in old forests with giant trees, several hundred years old.
Going beyond the indigenous population
In November 2021, as citizen frustration grew significantly over the destruction of old-growth trees, the British Columbia government postponed logging of 2.6 million hectares of the most vulnerable forests .
