Stories

A year in review for old growth in BC

December, 2025

It’s been five years since B.C. committed to work alongside First Nations to transform our forestry sector and make biodiversity a priority. This included a path to safeguarding 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old growth left in the province.

But with tariff threats to softwood lumber and political uncertainty, there’s been a big stall on transitioning to sustainable second-growth forestry and protecting the last old-growth forests. That’s why we worked harder than ever to combat industry misinformation and hold the B.C. government accountable to their promises. Keep reading to find out what our supporters helped us accomplish for forests and biodiversity this past year.

Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg.

We released two hard-hitting old-growth reports that made major waves:

In April, we helped released ‘The Economic Value of Old Growth Forests in B.C.’ which found that protecting at-risk old-growth forests in just two large Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) could deliver $10.9 billion CAD in economic benefits over the next century compared to business-as-usual logging. And in November, we released ‘Closer to the Brink’, which filled in huge gaps in public knowledge as to how little old growth is left, what has been clearcut and what is protected in B.C. since the province promised the shift in 2020.

These reports gave decision-makers clear evidence that (1) B.C. is not on track to meet their commitment of transitioning forestry to a sustainable model that incorporates ecological values and (2) that protecting what remains of old growth is not only the right choice for the environment, but also for long-term jobs in a diverse economy.

We got the latest forest research and maps into the hands of decision-makers. Our campaigners hand-delivered and emailed copies of our two forest reports to Ministers and MLAs across the province, including those most accountable for progressing the province’s forest commitments: Premier Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, and Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill.

Photo by Mary Paquet.

Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg.

We called out the B.C. government for their continuous delay in enacting a law to protect biodiversity and ecosystems across the province

In 2024, the province was supposed to roll out the final Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health framework that would include a path to a biodiversity law co-developed with Indigenous Nations. But instead, there’s been barely a peep about the status of this framework.

We couldn’t let this important commitment fade away, so we worked to remind the provincial government that voters care about this issue. We joined 88 groups from diverse sectors to submit an open letter to the B.C. government calling for transparency. Our staff also helped get a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health law resolution passed at the recent BC NDP convention. This win sends a strong message to Premier Eby that the promise to protect biodiversity is a major priority for the BC NDP base.

We made sure forests were top of mind

We made headlines for forests, with over 350 media hits mentioning Sierra Club BC this year. Some notable forest coverage includes CBC, Global News, The Narwhal, and Chek News. We also hosted massive webinars about old growth and biodiversity with over 2,000 registrants joining the conversations! These webinars featured phenomenal panels that spotlighted diverse perspectives including Indigenous leaders, scientists and the award-winning author Robert Macfarlane!

We made environmental content more accessible through our social media ads and viral videos. Our ads reached over 440,000 people, and our videos about forests and biodiversity were watched over 376,000 times!

We continued our legal case to protect migratory birds and their habitats on a federal level

Our team met with Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin and discussed our successful Migratory Birds Act lawsuit, making her aware of the court-mandated timeline for Environment Canada to protect the critical habitat of 25 vulnerable bird species. Our lawyers have been busy this year with the legal follow-up on the case, and we won’t rest until the habitat of marbled murrelets and other endangered birds has the protections it needs. For the murrelets, this would mean finally requiring protection for the coastal old-growth trees where they build their nests.

If you haven’t done so yet, please add your voice today to make sure the B.C. government fulfills its commitment of protecting old-growth forests by working with First Nations and ensuring adequate funding to defer logging in all at-risk stands.

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