Fairy Creek Blockade FAQ

No, we are specifically trying to prevent old-growth logging. We understand that the forestry industry has a huge role in the economy of British Columbia. However, we would like to see it transformed so that it is no longer dependent on old growth.

Media coverage of Fairy Creek has often presented the movement as in conflict with loggers, and indeed this can be how it feels on the ground. While there are certainly people in the logging industry who are angry about the blockades, we don’t see forestry workers as our opponents—we believe preserving the ecosystems that sustain life on this planet is essential for everyone’s future, and would like to see a world where workers and ancient forests alike are protected from exploitation by profit-hungry corporations.

Here is a great piece of investigative journalism exploring that question:

https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/forests/81/

The gist is: while Teal Cedar like to posture in the media about producing ‘tonewood’ for guitars, this is largely misdirection. Most of the wood seems to end up as cedar shingles—shingles that will spend 30 years out in the elements, and then need to be replaced. Is this an appropriate use for thousand-plus year old trees, and a good reason to destroy more of the few pockets of ancient forest that remain?

Fairy Creek is a creek, which is fed by a watershed. But the word has also taken on a new, distinct meaning, as a label for this ancient-forest-defending movement emerging in the same general area. When it is used in this sense, it is not an attempt at misinformation; “Fairy Creek” has become a convenient phrase to refer to the the blockade.

Yes, there are cutblocks being blockaded that are not precisely within the bounds of the Fairy Creek watershed. The fact that the movement referred to as “Fairy Creek” is not exactly geographically congruent with the boundaries of the watershed that feeds into Fairy Creek seems rather irrelevant. Opponents of the movement may nitpick about this phrase in an attempt to create negative publicity, but such attempts do not display much depth of understanding.

The following infographic was created as a step towards financial transparency, which is a priority for this movement. These averages provide insight into the financial decisions made from January to October 2021 to support people, camps, and arrestees on both the forest and legal frontlines. The figures were provided by volunteers who manage the finances for the movement, which has been a momentous task.