What do you think of when you think of Tofino, B.C.? Long, sandy beaches? A nature escape tucked away on Vancouver Island? For 600,000 tourists who flock to Tofino annually, these may very well be accurate descriptors. 

But what’s often overlooked is the decades-long struggle led by local First Nations to stop industrial logging that was negatively affecting their communities. Long before Tofino became a tourist paradise, it was the territory of Nuu-chah-nulth Nations who stood up against environmentally and culturally destructive resource extraction. 

Their efforts culminated in what is now known as the war in the woods. Almost 30 years later, as the Fairy Creek blockades garner headlines, The Narwhal’s B.C. reporter Stephanie Wood visited Tofino in search of some of the lessons and solutions from the war in the woods.

Following the standoffs of the 1980s and 1990s, the B.C. government handed over control of all the tree farm licenses in Clayoquot Sound to five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (although the nations will remind you they never gave up their inherent right to steward their own territories). 

It was challenging for the nations to be thrust into the forestry industry, says Saya Masso, manager of lands and resources for Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. The nations had to work within a system that pressured them to log. But despite the constraints, they were still able to make strides in developing less harmful forestry practices.

And now, Tla-o-qui-aht Nation is proposing an exciting new development — buying out the tree farm licences in their territory to create an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.

Masso says the proposed protected area is a recent development, admitting there is some skepticism in his community about making the switch from logging to tourism. But he views it as a special opportunity.

“Other nations are crying to have an offer like this in front of them — to buy out a tree farm and make it a protected area,” he says.

“This is a good thing,” says Masso. “We’re implementing our land vision.”

It’s one recent step in the long effort by local First Nations to rehabilitate the land while also working on ways to benefit more meaningfully from the tourism industry — which hasn’t always been profitable for all local Indigenous people but has altered, often invisibly, their livelihoods and ways of life.

“To bear only the cost is wrong,” Masso says. “There should be a legacy for our grandchildren.”

While some point to Clayoquot Sound as a successful example of eco-tourism, the Tla-o-qui-aht experience shows protecting local forests is a lot more complicated than perhaps first meets the eye.

Be sure to read Steph’s feature, accompanied by beautiful photos from Melissa Renwick and supported by Journalists for Human Rights and the Solutions Journalism Network.

Take care and hug a tree,

Josie KaoAssistant editor

This week in The Narwhal

Norwegian company plans large new salmon farm for B.C.’s coast as others phased out

By Sarah Cox

First Nations who successfully fought to remove open-net pen salmon farms are speaking out against a proposal by Grieg Seafood and the Tlowitsis First Nation, saying they have not been consulted and fear wild salmon stocks will suffer if a new farm is approved. Read more.

Kenney government urged by Edmonton water utility to halt new coal mines before ‘scientifically rigorous’ review

By Ainslie Cruickshank

The city’s only source of drinking water and a vital wildlife corridor could be at risk from new coal mines on Alberta’s eastern slopes, says a new report prepared for the city by EPCOR. Read more.

‘This mine dodged a bullet’: massive B.C. landslide exposes new era of climate risks

By Christopher Pollon

During the Pacific Northwest heat dome, five million tonnes of rock and ice fell from the Canoe Glacier, just eight kilometres from the Brucejack gold mine where 600 people were at work that day. The impacts of climate change are bringing both new risks and new opportunities to B.C.’s mining boom. Read more.

What we’re reading

When you’re a huge fan of trees. Tell your friends to sign up for our newsletter for the best arboreal reading in town.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.