Large Cultural Cedar Identification

Thursday, January 14, 2016 - 10:15

A Trip to the Woods for a Canoe:

“When we go out into the forest to look for the right trees for cultural purposes, carving a large traditional canoe for example, we look for certain factors that have to be met if the tree is going to be used,” explains Tlowitsis Guardian Gina Thomas, who has a forestry background. “Obviously a cedar with too much twist in it is no good for carving. So we look for large cedars—more than 1.3 metres in diameter—with beautiful, straight form.”

Cedar Identification Training:

In 2014, Tlowitsis members participated in a Nanwakolas Council-designed training program for the identification of large cultural cedar trees.  The goal of the program, which was funded by the federal government’s BC Capacity Initiative, was to train community members to become large cultural cedar surveyors, to use equipment required to access and inventory large cultural cedar trees, and to create a database of the trees and of areas accessed to harvest the trees.

You Need a Good Tree:

“These Western Red Cedar trees, which can be several hundreds of years old, are traditionally used for canoe-making, Big Houses and poles,” explains Nanwakolas Referrals Office Manager Art Wilson. “Having an inventory of the trees and an understanding of the types of locations where they are found will hopefully ensure that a sustainable long term supply of the trees will always be there.”

 “This is very important,” confirms traditional carver Bill Henderson, who accompanied the participants on the training program to show them how to find the trees and identify their key characteristics. “You need a sound tree, a straight tree maybe 60—80 feet high from stump level, with no branches,” says Henderson. “You have to look for wood that is even throughout the trunk. Some trees, if they have had to weather storms on one side because they are higher up the mountain, they may be very hard on one side, which makes them difficult to carve.”

Gina adds: “What I’ve found is that out of hundreds of trees in the forest, there may be only one or two that we can identify as being useful to take. It’s sad,” she says, “when you realize how little cedar is left now.” These beautiful trees, says Henderson—who has been carving for nearly six decades—are rapidly vanishing from the landscape because of large-scale logging on Vancouver Island. “So we really need the young people to be able to do this work and help save these trees while we can.”

Good for Everyone:

It’s helpful for the forestry companies to have people who are experts in identifying the locations of the trees as well as the trees themselves, adds Art Wilson. “In fact, speaking of opportunities, one company has already hired our crew to do a survey. So this is already proving to be a very good thing for everyone.”

The Tlowitsis Guardians expect to be called out several times a year by government and industry representatives to have a look at large cultural cedar trees that have been found in Tlowitsis territory. “I wish it was more!” states Gina.  “But at least now we can protect the trees that are left.”