Western red cedar in proposed fairway 11.
Ancient Giants... or cold, wet golf?
Slow-growing giants a product of cool, damp environment
By Randy Stoltmann
The same conditions that make the Hollyburn site questionable for a golf course are directly responsible for the slow-growing ancient trees that make this site special. The abundant rainfall, cool temperatures and frequent fog have kept forest fires in check for as much as 1,400 years, allowing the forest to evolve to the climax stage of shade-tolerant hemlock and cedar. The cool temperatures and short growing season due to the high elevation and heavy snowpack result in slow growth; many of these ancient trees add only a fraction of an inch to their girth each year, yet have attained diameters of up to nine feet.
Taking a core sample with an increment borer from an ancient western red cedar in a fairway of the proposed Cypress Ridge golf course.
Core samples taken this fall from the large western red cedars on the Hollyburn site indicate that these trees are 750 to 800 years old, perhaps more. Because the centres of the largest trees are hollow, exact dating is not possible. Both western and mountain hemlock, while not usually over three feet thick, have been confirmed at over 500 years old. At this elevation, seedlings hampered by heavy snowpack and deep shade often take 100 years to reach the size of a broom stick. This combination of a moist climate that restricts fire and very long-lived tree species is one of the key characteristics of temperate rainforests. The Hollyburn site, with its easy access, is an educational gift for local students. Where else in the world can you leave the city and 20 minutes later stand engulfed by a rainforest with 800-year-old trees?
West Vancouver resident Randy Stoltmann is author of "Hiking Guide to the Big Trees of Southwestern B.C". The Second revised edition of the book, featuring this old-growth forest, is due on local bookshelves next spring.
"I would strongly suggest that the golf course proposal is not a valid concept for the Hollyburn Ridge site, given both the great value of the existing forest and the number of serious problems inherent in developing a golf course on the site."
- Dr. Keith Wade, biogeographer
