11/02/2025
Vancouver Island is home to some of British Columbia’s last remaining giant trees. Most of its ancient forests have been logged; what’s left are small, isolated patches of old growth, surrounded by younger second-growth forests that lack the rich biodiversity and complexity of the original ecosystem. Clearcuts scar the landscape, with centuries-old giants reduced to stumps. However, in one of these clearcuts stands a remarkable survivor: Big Lonely Doug. Towering at 230 feet tall with a 39-foot circumference, Doug is the second-largest Douglas Fir in Canada, and is estimated to be over 1000 years old. With the surrounding old growth forest gone, Big Lonely Doug is a powerful reminder of what we've lost, and what we still have left to protect.
Standing beneath this ancient tree is a humbling experience, something words and photos struggle to convey. But I wanted to try. I chose to capture Big Lonely Doug against the vast canvas of the night sky. The light from many of these stars has traveled for hundreds or even thousands of years to reach Earth. Remarkably, Big Lonely Doug has been standing here since before much of that starlight even began its journey to our planet.
Just five minutes after I reached Big Lonely Doug’s base, clouds rolled in. Fortunately, I had those 5 minutes of clear skies to capture this image!
