One of BC's most beloved parks, MacMillan Park, which is part of Cathedral Grove, is threatened from overuse, logging at its boundaries, blow-down of its towering ancient Douglas firs and a five-acre parking lot proposed to be built in critical elk winter feeding range. Located alongside Highway 4, the only highway leading to Port Alberni and Clayoquot Sound, MacMillan Park's main problem is that it is too small. This paper lays out WCWC's 2004 campaign to protect and expand this most famous of BC's provincial parks.

Cathedral Grove: Last Remnant of BC's Vanishing Douglas Fir Forest

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.23-No.06 - Summer 2004

MacMillan Provincial Park Map

Click on map to enlarge.
For more Information check www.cathedralgrove.com

Cathedral Grove's Giants

Cathedral Grove giants threatened by logging in unprotected forest adjacent to the park. Photo: Ron Smid

Protect all of Cathedral Grove

Why Tiny MacMillan Park Should Be Enlarged

Cathedral Grove is located within the E & N Land Grant that traded one-fifth of Vancouver Island to private interests in exchange for the building of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo railroad, which was completed in 1886. Only 110 hectares of oldgrowth Coastal Douglas fir forest have been set aside for recreation and preservation on all of Vancouver Island. The rare ancient Douglas firs in Cathedral Grove (part of a Coastal Western Hemlock Forest) are found along the narrow Cameron River valley bottom. These giants extend only a few hundred metres on either side of the existing highway before the terrain rises steeply. The steep hillsides create a wind funnel by compressing the prevailing wind from the west coast through the narrow valley corridor. This subjects the exposed trees to incredible wind velocities, causing many to blow over or tops to snap off.

MacMillan Provincial Park also needs to be enlarged to accommodate the growing number of visitors and provide suitable and safe parking solutions. The proposed government parking plan could end up destroying the world famous giants that are the public’s main attraction to the park.