Written by: Pegah Pourkarimi, AWARE Executive Director
Last week, staff and board members from our organization joined local biologist Bob Brett on a guided hike through the Jane Lakes area, one of Whistler’s last remaining intact old-growth forest ecosystems. The outing provided a firsthand look at the ecological importance of this landscape, as well as the mounting pressures facing ancient forests across British Columbia.
In British Columbia, old and rare forests are vanishing faster than they can be meaningfully mapped or protected. Old-growth forests, some thousands of years old, offer irreplaceable ecological, cultural, and economic value, playing a critical role in maintaining the environmental and cultural fabric of the province. Researchers across Canada warn that the loss of old-growth comes at an enormous cost, not only to biodiversity but to the climate and future generations. According to leading ecologist Dr. Jim Pojar, in his report Forestry and Carbon in BC, logging primary, mature and old forests and converting them to secondary, managed forests can reduce total carbon storage by 40-50% or more, even when off-site storage of carbon in wood products in buildings is factored in, while severely compromising habitat for species at risk.
As our group moved through a landscape of towering trees (some over 900 years old), wetlands and connected lakes, we paused frequently to reflect on the forest’s enduring presence and ecological richness. I’ve explored countless forest stands throughout the Sea-to-Sky, but this place hit different. The deeper we walked and the more the forest revealed itself, the clearer it became, this was one of the last glimpses into Whistler’s unlogged, old and ancient forests. These trees aren’t just old, they’re survivors, holding space for rare wildlife, complex ecosystems, and histories written in rings. In a time when so much has already been lost, standing here felt like flipping back to the opening chapter of a book we’re dangerously close to finishing.
It left us with questions, insights, and stories worth passing on, so here’s a closer look at what we uncovered.
Ancient and Exceptional Forest Stands
Tucked behind the familiar trails and lakes of Whistler lies something truly extraordinary: the ancient forests of the Jane Lakes area. These stands include some of the oldest and largest remaining trees in the valley, living witnesses to a time long before roads, resorts, and recreation shaped the landscape. Unlike younger, second-growth forests, these old and complex ecosystems have evolved over centuries through natural cycles of growth, decay, and renewal, creating a multigenerational forest structure that supports an incredible diversity of life.
As old trees fall, they become nurse logs, nesting sites, and nutrient sources, fueling a thriving network of species that includes cavity-nesting birds, mammals, fungi, invertebrates, and much more. But these forests offer more than just habitat. They quietly perform vital ecosystem services: storing carbon, filtering water, cooling the surrounding air, and buffering the impacts of a warming climate.
In a province facing accelerating biodiversity loss and increasingly intense climate extremes, places like the Jane Lakes area act as ecological strongholds. Often described as “climate lifeboats,” undisturbed old-growth forests provide refuge for species under pressure, reminding us of the resilience that only intact, ancient ecosystems can offer.
Source: https://webmap.whistler.ca/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=ExternalGIS/
Map of the Jane Lakes – Black Tusk area. Areas shown in Red and Orange indicate zones identified as Very High Priority and High Priority, respectively. Old and Ancient Forest Habitat and Northern Goshawk Habitat Suitability are classified as High Priority, while Big Tree Habitats and the Largest Old Forest Patches are designated as Very High Priority.
Yellow Cedar – At Least 800 Years Old!
As we paused for lunch, Bob carefully extracted a core sample from a yellow cedar. Although the decayed center meant the core reached less than half the tree’s diameter, the innermost ring dated to around 1449 AD, revealing at least 576 rings. This showed how tricky it can be to determine a tree’s full age, yet Bob was confident the cedar was well over 800 years old, and quite possibly over 1,000. Such ancient trees are not uncommon in the Jane Lakes area, nor in surrounding forests like the Callaghan Valley, Twenty-one Mile and Nineteen Mile Creeks, and the lower slopes of Whistler Mountain. These yellow cedar stands, undisturbed by fire for more than 800 years, represent a globally rare forest type that has persisted for centuries. Their rarity, even in British Columbia’s coastal temperate rainforests, highlights the urgent need to safeguard the few remaining old-growth ecosystems that still stand today.
The extracted core was 14cm long with the inner section of the core on the left, where the borer struck a hollow rot pocket. Between 1700 and 1900 AD, the tree’s radius expanded by only about the width of a quarter. It’s a good reminder that a tree’s age can’t always be judged by its size.
Providing perspective on size – I had to give this ol’ Douglas Fir a hug!
Critical Habitat for Threatened Species
These habitats in the Jane Lakes area are vital refuges for rare, threatened, and at-risk species including Northern Goshawks, and Western Toads. Western Toads also rely on intact wetlands and moist forest cover.
Notably, Jane Lakes provides critical breeding habitat for Northern goshawks, a raptor species in decline across BC’s coast largely due to old-growth loss. Surveys from 2019 to 2024 have documented at least six current or recent breeding territories in Whistler, making this area a true hotspot for goshawk breeding success on BC’s South Coast. These birds depend on large tracts of mature, lower-elevation forest, like the Jane Lakes area. Ensuring these habitats remain intact is essential for its survival.
Here is a small Western Toad hunted by a Garter snake, a reminder of the complex food webs these habitats sustain.
On the hike, Bob used a megaphone to mimic goshawk calls and some of us heard faint juvenile responses in return. Hearing juvenile calls is especially significant: it proves there’s active, successful breeding happening in the Jane Lakes area. As long as Northern goshawks continue to nest in the Jane Lakes area, it’s a powerful indicator that the old-growth forests they depend on are still intact. Each new nest discovered is more than just good news, it’s a hopeful reminder that these rare and sensitive ecosystems are still functioning.
Mimicking goshawk calls with Bob Brett and a recent picture of a Northern goshawk in Whistler taken by Bob Brett.
Ancient Forests & Cultural Connections
For the Líl̓wat Nation, old-growth forests are far more than towering trees, they are living cultural landscapes, essential to maintaining traditions, knowledge, and spiritual connections. As the Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures Old Growth Stewardship Project explains, these forests harbor habitats for wildlife and nurture culturally important plants, medicinal and food species, that have sustained communities for generations. The project’s comprehensive data gathering across the traditional territory, including assessments of cultural and ecological values, underscores how these ancient forests continue to underpin identity, resource use, and intergenerational practices for the Líl̓wat people.
Past and Present Forest Management of Jane Lakes
Heather Beresford, Executive Director of the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF), joined us for our walk through the area and shared the CCF’s position on its future. This Jane Lakes area was once included in the CCF’s harvest plans, but recent management decisions have removed it from active logging proposals, recognizing its importance as a conservation priority. It’s encouraging to see forest management evolving to reflect new ecological knowledge and community values, opting for Ecosystem-Based Management over conventional extraction in ecologically significant places like Jane Lakes. This holistic approach, central to the CCF’s governance, considers the full scope of an ecosystem, including the human dimension, and aims to sustain ecological integrity while supporting cultural and community values. It reflects the land use plans of all three governance partners (Squamish Nation, Lil’wat Nation and RMOW) and offers a path forward that balances conservation with long-term stewardship.
Through its recently completed Climate Change Risk Assessment, the CCF is taking a crucial step toward embedding climate realities into its future operations. Results from the assessment will directly inform CCF’s 2025 operational plans (being developed through summer/fall of 2025), shaping decisions around where to prioritize resistance (leaving resilient old-growth intact), resilience (fuel-thinning in younger areas), or transition (planting climate-adapted species). This climate-resilient planning marks a significant evolution in community forestry, moving beyond periodic harvest cycles to a more adaptive, long-term approach designed to protect Whistler’s forests, waterways, wildlife, and the communities that depend on them.
In this context, intact old-growth forests like those in Jane Lakes emerge as natural allies in climate adaptation. Far more than sources of timber, these forests deliver essential ecosystem services, storing carbon, regulating water, buffering floods, and providing critical habitat for at-risk species. When these values are properly accounted for, keeping old-growth standing often makes more economic and ecological sense than logging. A 2024 report by ESSA Technologies affirms this, showing that the total value of BC’s old-growth forests, including ecosystem services, far exceeds their short-term logging revenue. In protecting places like Jane Lakes, we are not just preserving trees; we are investing in the resilience and wellbeing of future generations.
The Role of Protection
As we continued to walk through this remarkable area and discussion unfolded, it became clear how much we risk to lose without a formal protection of this area. Without formal protection, such as designation under provincial conservancy, ecological reserve, or land use orders, these forests remain vulnerable to industrial logging, road building, and other forms of development that can permanently degrade their ecological integrity. Once logged, old-growth cannot be replaced within any human timescale.
Legal protection provides enforceable safeguards. It can restrict or prohibit activities like clearcutting within designated areas, ensuring that management decisions prioritize conservation over extraction. Protection can also support co-governance models with Indigenous Nations, uphold biodiversity targets, and provide greater certainty for communities working toward long-term climate and land-use goals.
Without these legal mechanisms in place, the future of remaining old-growth forests is left to shifting political priorities and short-term economic pressures, an increasingly risky gamble in the face of climate change and accelerating biodiversity loss. As CCF develops its new operational plans over the coming months, we’ll be watching closely to see how this ecologically rare and culturally significant area is treated. In the meantime, we’re continuing discussions and hopefully research into protection models that could offer long-term certainty for the Jane Lakes area, because safeguarding these forests now is one of the clearest climate and ecological solutions we can act on today.
AWARE Staff and Board in front of 500+ year old White Pine.
Come Hike and Experience the Old-Growths on Blackcomb Mountain with Bob Brett
Have questions? Want to experience Bob’s guided hikes for yourself? Take a moment to appreciate these truly ancient trees with us on a free guided hike for the public on September 14! Reserve your spot here.
