Over the last week, over one hundred people participating in anti-logging protests have been arrested by the RCMP. The conflict is not restricted to one location, but has originated from Fairy Creek, a region in Southwestern Vancouver Island near the town of Port Renfrew, home to a section of BC's dwindling old growth forests. Blockades in the area have been happening since last summer organized by rainforest conservation groups; however the movement to stop logging old-growth trees in this area has only recently gained national attention.

Thanks to a photo of a massive old–growth log travelling on the back of a truck that went viral, outcry has been heard from countries as far away as Japan, Germany and Denmark, as well as the United States and across Canada. The tree in the circulating image was supposedly cut down some time in the spring of 2020 (according to BC's Ministry of forests, lands, natural resources and rural development), shortly before increased restrictions on old growth logging were put in place.

However while this photo might not be of a recently cut tree, the image has still played a vital role in rallying support for the protection of these forests. Seeing a photo of what was once a magnificent tree reduced to lumber has no doubt provoked a highly emotional response.

The situation with the protests is also highly complicated, because the Pacheedaht Nation, on whose traditional territory the blockades are taking place, have stated that interference from other parties in concern to the logging on their territory will not be tolerated, which includes the protesters. The Pacheedaht currently have a share in the revenue from logging, and consequently have agreed not to interfere with "provincially authorized forest activities."

An additional issue to consider is the threat this logging might have on the ecosystem. The current cutting blocks are located on the edge of the Fairy Creek watershed, leaving the delicate ecosystems surviving there at risk from human activity.

British Columbia's old–growth forests are precious and rare environments that support a very unique ecosystem and carry the majority of the province's biodiversity. Furthermore, unlike second–growth forests, they are non–renewable. These trees are huge carbon dioxide sinks, and many of them have been standing for over 500 years. The value of these trees is immeasurable, not as a resource but for the health of our planet, and it is vital to make sure the remaining forest can remain standing.