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Activists Try To Save The Fur Forests

CLAYPOTQUAT FOREST-- Protestors are blocking forestry roads, hoping to prevent fur-traders from cutting down one of the last stands of virgin Douglas Furs in the province. The protestors, naturalists, and activists who are opposed to fur-trading, say they are prepared to go to jail if necessary. Many block the road singing hymns, while others have climbed the majestic fur-coated trees setting up cozy camps high in their warm, furry branches. They say they won't leave until the forest is declared a natural sanctuary, safe from the saw and knife of commerce.

The fur from these old-growth trees is much sought after.

The fur-traders, for their part, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to clear the road. Their lawyers, clad in luxurious fur coats and tree-pelt top hats have obtained the proper papers and it is only a matter of time before the police arrive with their batons and seal-clubbing sticks.

How did the situation become so polarized so quickly? Only a few years ago it was hard to find anyone in this province who was not employed by the massive fur-trade in some capacity. The harvesting of the great fur forests of the coastal mountains was seen as a natural enterprise, a healthy indicator of the wealth and potential of a resource-based economy.

Unfortunately for that economy, the international scene has changed. The rich, lustrous bark of these resplendent trees, once greatly desired around the world for jackets, parkas, mitts, and headwear has been supplanted by cheaper synthetic fibres. Many people now feel that tree fur is best left on the trees, and claim now that it is inhumane to cut them down for mere fashion.

Over-harvesting of the fur forests is also blamed. Almost all of the old-growth fur forests have been tapped, leaving mostly second and third-growth forests for the furriers. Old-growth furs are greatly desired: the coat from one tree provides enough fur to make 275 long jackets.

The fur trade built the province. The harsh climate naturally encouraged trees to grow a thick fur bark which early settlers and traders were able to trade at enormous prices in Europe and Asia. In pre-contact days, natives would strip the fur from these trees, cure the hides, and make simple, yet ostentatious clothing, cozy shelters, and fabulous fur-lined canoes. With the arrival of the Europeans, they would trade the furs with white settlers for ginger ale, Louis l'Amour novels, and English silverware. The Frobisher Bay Company set up hundreds of trading posts and mills across the country. The resource seemed inexhaustible.

The Douglas Furs weren't the only natural resource. Fabric-growing trees like silkwood and cottonwood were also harvested, but never became a major industry.

Fur trees are not without problems in the wild. The fur can get matted and infested with lice. Nature balances this with tree squirrels, robins, and woodpeckers grooming the fur, picking out chits and matted clumps for nest-building. Tree mange can also develop, but is rare in a healthy eco-system.

In the past generation fur tree farms have been developed, both as nurseries and as an alternative to taking wild furs. These farms will grow the famous Douglas and Sitka fur trees, of course, but also other less-well known and exotic varieties, such as the Fuzzy Peach fur. The Scottish fur is another favourite, although its wiry coat doesn't take well to water. Special protectants--like Scotch-guard--are used to seal and protect the furs of these trees.

In fur tree farms special techniques have been developed to reuse the same tree over and over. The trees are skinned (de-barked) in late spring, after the sap has slowed down and the temperatures have warmed up. The trees grow new coats through the year, in time for next year's harvest. Only time will tell whether these new measures will be enough to save a troubled industry.

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