Elphinstone Logging Focus

08/05/2025

This video is from 2016 showing a standoff between a forest activist and a feller bunch operator. Location: within the Mt. Elphinstone Park expansion area, Sunshine Coast, B.C.

Ongoing protests like this have not moved the NDP government's needle towards helping to protect these rare old forests and do the right thing by expanding this poplar area from 160ha (divided in 3 biological islands) into a more robust 1,500-2,000 ha protected Class A, or IPCA (Indigenous Protected Conservation Area.)

Since June 2016, a protest has been underway, opposing logging in the last remaining, low elevation old growth forest on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Witness th...

07/30/2025

ELF flies a drone over an area in the E. Gray and Angus Creek Watersheds showing Before & After scenes of a forest before clearcut logging by Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) and then after. If you don't like what you see, feel free to contact SCCF at [email protected] and request that they end this practice.

ELF flies a drone above a Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) clearcut on the Gray-Angus Creek Watersheds.

07/22/2025

How about a complete ban on logging on the lower Sunshine Coast?

Its been going on now for 75 years and all the good timber (good forests) is almost gone.

That would protect what is left of the habitat for iconic species such as these cougars (aka: mountain lions).

07/10/2025

https://youtu.be/uE75MhOyMsc?si=uLA8GhdMPuC8m8CD

The Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) logging company has completed a brand new and unnecessary logging road in the upper Wakefield Creek Watershed, Sun...

06/02/2025

Looking for a great hike through an emerging old-growth forest on the Sunshine Coast? Plan to visit the Health Trail. Download a trail map here:https://loggingfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ELF_HealthTrailMap-final-2022.pdf

There's a lovely new entrance at the start of the Health Trail thanks to Tyler Gentry a designer of natural gardens. If you want to get into great shape or stay in great shape hike the entire length of the trail which can take up to 4.5 hours for a moderate hiker.

Thank you for supporting ELF as we enter the summer season of maintaining and building new trails to access the Elphinstone backcountry.

05/21/2025

https://youtu.be/Pd3hihLutD0

Named after the recreational trail Blazing Saddles this forest is found in the mid-elevation (250-300M) of the Wilson Creek Watershed, Sunshine Coast. Found ...

05/11/2025

https://youtu.be/Dbd0isIrmOE

Sitting on the slopes above community of Roberts Creek, is a forest that is now being logged by the B.C. government agency BC Timber Sales. A private logging...

05/01/2025

Last Stand for the Elphinstone Water Protection Forest

Hike Sunday May 4th

The Water Protection Forest is precariously close to getting logged after a 3 year fight to save it from the chainsaws dropping big trees and road building cutting across steep slopes.

ELF will be in Vancouver at the Supreme Court of B.C. next Tuesday (May 6th) to make arguments that this forest should not be logged for several important reasons, including that BC Timber Sales willfully disregarded their own consultant’s strongly worded recommendation to wait for the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure (MOTI) to complete a “stream-crossing review” before proceeding with logging and new roadbuilding of the block that sits on the slopes above Highway 101.

MOTI informed BCTS that a stream-crossing review is not in their budget at this time, so that was good enough for BCTS so they sold the block to an out of town logging contractor.

The block is located in the headwaters of Joe Smith, Molyneaux, Slater and Leek Creeks. These creeks pass under Highway 101 through under-sized legacy culverts that have a probability of being overwhelmed during an Atmospheric River. A stream crossing review would most likely have recommended replacing them with larger diameter culverts, but that would mean delaying the logging at Blk TA0521.

The loss of forest cover in the headwaters of these creeks will result in runoff increases and higher water flows passing through old culverts making them vulnerable to backing up and flooding roads, which could lead to catastrophic failures.

These forests are in the inter-urban zone and part of our community’s infrastructure. So damn it - keep them in place. Right?

We invite you on an important forest walk this Sunday May 4th to see the majestic Water Protection Forest.

Meet at B & K Rd powerlines (N of Hwy 101) at 10am. 3–4-hour excursion.

If we lose in court next Tuesday, then it could be last time that you’ll see this forest intact. So, please make this the one ELF hike you plan on attending in 2025.

Rating: Moderate, with steep sections. No dogs.

04/16/2025

The Elphinstone Water Protection Forest is under threat to logging that will have a long running effect on hydrology, old-growth recruitment, and downstream infrastructure right above the community of Roberts Creek. One of Leek Creek channels begins within the block. Water emerges forms a stream, passes through a culvert on Porter Rd. through a small culvert at Hwy 101, then meets the western channel above Conrad Rd.

But, BCTS and logging contractor from North Van aren't concerned - they want their money and then want to get out, but we're left with long term consequences. Here's ELF meeting the logging contractor the other day up at our roadblock. We're both friendly, frank. But, ELF has to hold the line on this one.

Check out the ecological map we produced showing the forest conditions: it has old-growth recruitment, 98% of the area is a combination of red and blue listed ecosystems. A map that BCTS won't produce. They'll tell the public that the trees make great telephone poles.

04/06/2025

https://youtu.be/h9YTGA2TOLA?si=lBOvdSg4kup2gbZF

Aimee Mitchell, RPBio (Senior Species at Risk Biologist with Athene Ecological) conducted an amphibian survey at Pond #1 (March 22, 2025) and confirmed 31 Re...

04/05/2025

BC Timber Sales (a division of the Ministry of Forests, overseen by the current NDP Minister), has given the go ahead to a logging contractor from Squamish (SkyTech) to begin the logging of the Elphinstone Water Protection Forest (aka BCTS Blk TA0521). ELF is troubled by the planned new logging road that would impact (destroy?) a breeding pond for the Red-legged frog (RLF). The road center line is surveyed to go through the lower section of the pond, but since it would have to blast through a wall of rock who knows how much of the pond will be affected.

ELF's registered biologist counted 31 RLF egg masses in late March, so that means that 31 female RLF's traveled from the surrounding forest to he pond to lay eggs, which another number of males fertilizing the eggs. Then, they turn into tadpoles, then juveniles who will hop away and disperse into the forest. But, the road construction would no doubt kill the egg masses. Under the Wildlife Act its an offence to kill, capture or remove a RLF. But, it appears that BCTS will deny that they are affecting this endangered species.

As we have all said to ourselves at one time of another: is nothing sacred anymore?

This forest was captured by the OG Technical Review Panel as Recruitment Forest to become "tomorrow's old-growth". A broken promise of the NDP to accept all of the recommendations of the Old Growth Review Panel. ELF has a wonderful trail that traverses throughout the forest across some steep slopes.

We tried to engage with the local MLA, Randene Neill and Minister of Water, Lands, Resource Stewardship to intervene, but she wasn't available. Does anybody know her? If you do, pls forward this post to her.

1/3 of of the trees will be heli-logged, then sold to a Texas utility company as telephone poles.

Is it too late? For more information contact ELF at: [email protected]