In June 2018, I began a quest to visit all 43 Champion trees in BC. These trees have been nominated and verified as the largest of their species, and are recorded in the BC Big Tree Registry maintained by UBC Forestry. No one has visited all 43 Champion trees; I’m planning to visit them all before the end of 2019. The BC Big Tree Registry is currently in the process of being refreshed, and my research and data-gathering trips are proving invaluable to these efforts. On my visits, I take new measurements and photos, and assess the condition of the trees. In some cases the trees may not be standing, or in poor condition. I’ve been visiting and chronicling trees of all types, from Western red cedars and Douglas-firs to maples, crabapples, and willows. These trees are located all around the province, from the Southwest Coast to Haida Gwaii, Fort Nelson, and the Kootenays. Many are in geographically remote areas, on islands, down logging roads, and deep in the bush. Many of these large trees are now ecologically anomalous: prior to the Anthropocene, they would have been the norm. My immediate goal is to raise awareness of these magnificent trees, many of them old-growth and threatened by deforestation and encroaching development. It feels right to pay homage, and suitably I am referring to my trips as pilgrimage and myself as a “tree pilgrim.” I have been blogging about the trees and my personal relationship with them at www.trackinggiants.com and on Instagram at @trackinggiants This year I am making a big push to see Champion trees all over the province. I need the money to get to Haida Gwaii, as it’s expensive to get there!!
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