In this talk, Tal Engel of WolfTree Integrative Forest Rehabilitation will share methods he has developed to help dense young forests recover from over a century of industrial forestry, and make the case for why the time for action is now. adriennebrown@telus.net. Event is free with donations accepted at the door.

It is often said that “time heals all wounds.”  But what if, for our second and third-growth Douglas fir forests, time alone may not be enough?  What does it actually take to “grow” a healthy old-growth forest? The forests on SḴŦAḴ | Mayne Island have been logged extensively over the past 150 years, in many cases twice. Recent peak periods of logging in the 1950’s and 1990’s have left a legacy of young, tightly spaced Douglas fir in some places. The conventional opinion is that left alone over time, these young forests with low biodiversity will eventually mature into old growth forests with high ecological value. But what if that isn’t the case?

Tal is a forest restoration practitioner and regenerative farmer who lives in the Comox Valley, British Columbia. On his family’s farm, Honey Grove, he researches and develops forest restoration methods and models that his organization, WolfTree Integrative Forest Rehabilitation, applies throughout Eastern Vancouver Island. Tal is currently working on his master’s thesis in restoration ecology.