TJ Watt Photography

04/07/2026

Now that’s a giant conk! 🍄

Each layer on this Artist’s conk (Ganoderma applanatum) represents about a year of growth. Counting the rings, this one lived to nearly 100 years old! It weighed so much we could barely lift it.

Ancient Forest Alliance's Ian Thomas found the giant fungus beside some massive old stumps in a second-growth clearcut on northern Vancouver Island. It likely began growing on one of the original old-growth trees that stood here decades ago and continued to grow on the stump long after the tree was logged.

Pretty wild what you come across in the woods sometimes 🌲

03/31/2026

All five members of BC’s 2021 Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) — the independent experts appointed to map old-growth forests in BC — say the province is failing to save old-growth today.

🚨 Take action! Send a message to the BC government today: https://ancientforestalliance.org/send-a-message

In 2021, the TAP was tasked with identifying the most at-risk old-growth forests for potential protection. Yet today, about half of the most at-risk areas they identified remain at risk, and the BC government continues to approve logging in many of these areas while long-term protection plans remain unfinished.

That includes places like the Nahmint Valley near Port Alberni, home to some of the finest remaining tracts of endangered old-growth forest on Vancouver Island.

“Purposely causing extinction is not just a moral failure but also a high economic, ecological and social risk,” said the TAP members.

Since the NDP’s re-election at the end of 2024, the province has been backsliding on its old-growth commitments, and we commend the panel for speaking out.

In their letter to Premier Eby, they highlight a key missing solution to protect the remaining old-growth in BC: the need for “solutions-space funding” to compensate First Nations for lost forestry revenues when they choose to defer logging in at-risk old-growth forests — something AFA has also long called for.

Protecting old-growth forests in BC is critical to building a truly resilient and sustainable future for forests, people, and the economy – needed now more than ever.

It’s time the BC government shows real leadership and delivers the funding needed to protect the remaining at-risk old-growth forests, instead of actively facilitating their destruction and blocking progress.

📰 See the full coverage in CBC News: https://r.pebmac.ca/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/old-growth-forests-bc-failing-to-save-9.7128469

📸 Before & after old-growth logging by BC Timber Sales – the BC government's own logging agency – in the Nahmint Valley.

01/23/2026

Magical misty weather in the woods this winter 🌈🌲

Cool weather + sunshine = 🪄

12/11/2025

A minute of waves crashing on Haida Gwaii 🌊😌

11/21/2025

Check out this new article in Outside Magazine highlighting Big Lonely Doug and how old-growth forests have helped the town of Port Renfrew become known as the Tall Tree Capital of Canada! ✨🌲✨

Once a logging outpost, Vancouver Island's Tall Tree Capital is luring tourists to see the last remaining old-growth forests and one lone relic, a thousand-year-old, two-hundred-foot Douglas Fir named Big Lonely Doug

11/14/2025

Sunbeams filtering through the forest this fall 🌲✨ These are some of the most magical moments in the woods.

Prints available here: https://www.tjwatt.com/prints

11/05/2025

Fall at Fairy Lake 🧚🏻

10/31/2025

Avatar Grove’s gnarly tree at night 👻 Happy Halloween from the spooky fall forests, where the trees come alive after dark 🌕🌲

10/31/2025

Stoked to have images from the amazing Eldred Valley featured in the latest Summit Journal magazine!

This remote valley on BC's Sunshine Coast is home to incredible old-growth forests with giant cedars abutting towering granite climbing walls, similar to those in the famed Yosemite Valley.

While local climbers and conservationists work to expand routes and build ecotourism opportunities, logging continues to threaten what little old-growth remains.

The magazine is beautifully printed in large format on archival paper, a satisfying alternative to our digital media world. You can find it here: https://www.summitjournal.com/

Also, check out AFA's spotlight video on the Eldred Valley and surrounding region: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hShgv9RDSQ4

10/25/2025

Nature Break – Enjoy a peaceful minute in the misty forests of Haida Gwaii 😌

10/21/2025

Exploring the ancient forests at Yakoun Lake on Haida Gwaii. This area is home to some of the island’s largest Sitka spruce, nourished by rich alluvial soils along the lake’s edge. Walking here feels like stepping into an old black-and-white photograph of the grand forests that once blanketed the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to the leadership of the Haida Nation, these ancient giants are now protected within the 7,970-hectare Yaaguun Suu Conservancy on Graham Island. The conservancy safeguards old-growth spruce and cedar forests, salmon habitat, and culturally important areas connected to the Yakoun River watershed.

A short 1.5-kilometre trail leads through towering trees reaching over 230 feet (70 metres) tall and 11 feet (3.5 metres) wide before opening onto a quiet sandy beach at the lake. If you find yourself on Haida Gwaii, this place is truly worth the journey.