Canadian history is repeating itself as hundreds of activists blockade old growth trees in a small protected area called Avatar Grove, near the Fairy Creek watershed on southern Vancouver Island.

The blockade is reminiscent of the massive campaign to save Clayquot Sound in 1993 where 1000s were arrested.

The movement to halt the government from cutting the last 3% of giant old growth trees left in the province began more than eight months ago. While it started as a campaign to stop logging in a single watershed, it has grown thanks to widespread frustration with the British Columbia government’s broader approach to old-growth logging.

According to The Guardian, “Activists and forestry experts say a tiny fraction of the province’s giant old-growth trees are left standing, and an immediate moratorium on cutting them is needed.”

In order to respond to climate change we must avoid repeating history. Keeping old-growth trees intact should be part of a larger priority to protect existing forests, which are our most climate resilient lands.

For the Earth Minute and the Sojourner Truth Show this is Theresa Church from Global Justice Ecology Project.