Join us for an on-site discussion at Henderson Community Park with forest restoration specialist Tal Engel. We will explore the legacy left by commercial logging and discuss techniques for improving the health of young Douglas fir forests such as tree thinning and creation of assembled nurse logs. These techniques can improve habitat for wildlife, reduce fire risk, and help young forests develop into healthy old growth.

Let us know if you plan on coming by clicking the RSVP button below, and please park in the cul-de-sac at the end of Beechwood Drive.

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 areas. 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? Our upcoming guest speaker and forest restoration specialist Tal Engel asks that question. Tal has been working on actions we can take in these post-commercial forests to improve ecological health now, putting these forests back on a trajectory towards healthy old growth.

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.