RV Canada. Avatar Grove || The World's Gnarliest Tree || Vancouver Island, B.C. *|(Part 2)

I guess the reason why Big Lonely Doug has such an impact is because it's the only tree amongst that was left in a clear-cut zone. So you see it's very unique and I don't know the story about why they left here. It really stands out. So like we were Cathedral Forest. Yeah they were all tall and um and gas? Good question. I want to be with you baby take my hand hold it tight just like you do on the paper it says please go to local support local businesses to show Port Renfrew the tourism and the fact that it is worth saving these trees because they'll get other business. And that ecotourism is worth more to their town than chopping down a tree. We are trying to find Gnarly Road. We'll be fine. Okay. We'll be fine. What's Gnarly Road? Well this is. Avatar big sign. Lupine spray. Lupine spray. We're doing fine. Yeah we're just a little bumpy. Just a little. Just a little. Just a little Kate. Kate's got it down because she knows the directions. She won't stray us. I studied the map. She studied the map. We got a map. So make sure you go to Forest Ancient Forest Alliance for the map. Yeah you got to take a picture of the blue spray paint. It's a little. It says if you're not going to Avatar and if you don't have a 4x4 I suggest you don't come here in a rental. In a car. In a car. Cross a small bridge over a creek. Baird Creek. Park on the right immediately after the bridge and look for the trail entrance signs that lead to Upper and Lower Grove. Steady incline throughout and passes by numerous giant red cedar trees. The trail on the right side of the road takes you down to the Lower Grove's loop trail. This features more gentle terrain with huge burly red cedars and large Douglas fir trees. Cheers. All right Avatar Grove. This is in preparation for what? Karmana? Yeah. Okay let's go. Avatar Grove and it's definitely not as provincially organized as everything else is. The story of how Avatar Grove got discovered. I watched the Avatar movie and they got a premonition and they showed up here and I said yeah. Some of the oldest biggest and most gnarly trees in the country of Canada stand in the woods of Avatar Grove. The Grove was found by hiker by the hiker named T.J. Watt. He's so passionate about ancient forests that the professional photographer calls himself a big tree hunter. He knew that only four percent of the Old Grove's forest was left in southern Vancouver Island. So while hiking in the woods near Port Renfrew on the far western edge of Canada, for the most part all he saw were large stumps. Basically he thought there was no hope of finding ancient trees. But Wyatt was determined and his search along the Golden River led him through thick undergrove to massive cedars and Douglas fir. He found enough giants in the forest in late 2009 to alert Victoria biologist Ken Wu, then with the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee. By the time the pair returned in January of 2010, the trees in the Grove had already been flagged for logging. This is, I can't even think of the words. We're trying to film this but there's no way of trying to do any justice to any of this. Like you actually have to feel the energy of this space too which is amazing. How do we describe this to you? Public pressure amounted for saving the trees in February and the BC government declared a 59 hectare chunk of forest off limits to logging. The quick thinking of calling it Avatar Grove based on the Avatar movie got and garnered attention of media around the world. There are trees here that go beyond a thousand years but these forests have been around way longer than that. In Cathedral Grove we were talking about nurse trees and nurse trees are trees that have fallen apart like this and help other trees and other things around them grow like this one. So this is a dead tree or what seems like a dead tree but it is actually nursing other trees around it and giving even this tree and this tree. So that that nurse log has now helped other three different trees if not more. So you really have to think about the fact that everything that you're seeing here which is Avatar Grove was slated to be logged. Logging is still a big thing that happens in Grand Vancouver Island. We were driving past Clear Cut and one of the reasons that this particular forest got saved is because of Ancient Forest Alliance and the advocacy and public interest in order to help save this. And of course a catchy name like Avatar did help but when you are here you really feel like you are in Avatar. What Avatar is most known for is for Canada's most gnarliest tree. And gnarliest I mean with the fact that it has these things coming out of it and when I turn and see you'll know what I mean. With the protection of the 74 meter tall world's Douglas fir also in Port Renfrew called Big Lonely Doug along with the 68 meter San Juan Spruce tallest in Canada and second tallest in the world these trees have made Port Renfrew the big tree capital of Canada. Port Renfrew is already known as the best spot to get fresh food hot shower and cozy bed for those starting or leaving on rugged west coast trail but now it's known for its trees. The difference between Avatar and Cathedral Grove is you come to Avatar Grove and these big trees are everywhere and yes you have Canada's big gnarliest tree but at the same time these old growth forests you feel like you're stepping back into over a thousand years of ecology. A thousand years of history. A thousand years ago when knights were still in shining armor. So it's incredible to me that this grove would have been clear-cutted and was slated for clear-cutting had it not been the actions of concerned citizens. So really we can make a difference. By not cutting the trees down it's a forever thing and hundreds and thousands of people are coming from all over the world from the gulf islands to Germany to see its tree.