Forestry History

Logging at Wolfsohn Bay, now known as Lang Bay, 1910-15. (ID 2012.85.9)

Logging on the West Coast

Long before white settlers arrived, Indigenous people logged the area very selectively, taking only what they needed in a very sustainable way. For example, cedar strips were harvested from cedar trees and used to weave baskets. There’s evidence of culturally modified trees in and around qathet.

Lumbering in British Columbia began in the 1850s. The huge trees, mainly Douglas fir and western red cedar, that were close to the tidewater were exploited first and served both the Pacific and South African markets.

Adapting LoggingTechniques

Loggers were forced to make adaptations to eastern lumbering techniques. For example, they used three times more oxen than the east used. And because snow roads were impossible in our milder climate, they used skid roads built from logs. The loggers also made cuts higher on the tree trunks. Two axmen stood on springboards to make the cuts. Heavy, double-bitted axes were also developed.

Transporting Lumber

The methods used to transport lumber evolved over time:

Oxen and Rail Lines

Early in the logging history, loggers used oxen for transporting trees. Teams of oxen pulled timber to the water’s edge. Seven pairs of oxen, called the bull team, pulled two logs at a time. Rail lines were also used until the First World War.

Steam

In the early 1900s steam donkeys replaced oxen teams. Steam donkey engines created the steam that powered the winches that were used to load large logs from the woods to the railway landing. Some steam donkeys had several steam engines and single, large boilers on one set of timber skids. Logs were moved in the bush on greased log skid roads.

Steam also powered other logging equipment such as the steam shovels that were used for road construction, and the steam locomotives that were used to haul the logs by rail. In the 1930s, steam donkeys were replaced by gas and diesel-powered machines. By the 1950s, steam had disappeared from the forests.

Railroads

Logging railroads appeared in qathet around the turn of the century, and replaced skid roads. Their heyday was between 1900 and 1935. The yield from a section of the forest was attractive and the terrain was suitable for logging.

Logging trucks

As logging moved further into the mountains, logging roads and trucks began replacing railroads to move logs from the forest.

On the Verge

A Film by Arc’teryx

“In the mountains behind the coastal town of Powell River, BC, a small group of rock climbers has spent decades quietly pioneering routes on some of the largest granite walls in Canada. As the last stands of old-growth trees harboured in these valleys come under threat of logging, the climbing community faces the uncertain future of a place that has come to define their lives and legacies.

Confronted with the decision to fight for these last ancient trees and potentially lose access or look away as the valley is stripped for timber, On The Verge is a snapshot of outdoors culture in British Columbia. The way we reconcile industries that give us access to the wilderness with the destruction they cause. The desire to protect our backyard but keep it for ourselves at the same time. The importance of these places to the people who have shaped them and been shaped by them in return.”

Willingdon Beach Trail

Go for a walk along Willingdon Beach Trail. The trail showcases many pieces of retired logging equipment. Or watch this short video below!

Forestry Heritage Society