By Shona Dion, MoveUP Environment Committee
These words – Worth More Standing – are splayed across t-shirts, made in small batches by artisans at farmers markets across the province. It is a simple phrase, but a powerful truth: the value of trees is far greater when they are left standing. In coastal rainforests along Canada’s western edge, these trees act as guardians—protecting over 400 species of plants and animals. Their ecological and cultural worth far outweighs their commercial value as timber.
To honour this past International Day of Forests, I wanted to share a recent encounter with Fairy Creek activist and BCGEU member, Rose Henry. Fairy Creek, located in the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation, is the last unlogged old-growth valley on Vancouver Island outside of protected parks. In 2021, over 1000 protesters were arrested in what became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada.
“We are the last level of protection of the land … we are the last line of defense.”
Rose Henry, Tla’amin elder and activist, spoke at a recent Victoria Labour Council course on Civil Disobedience. She referenced the advocacy work that she has done, and continues to do, for the forests, specifically in the Fairy Creek and Wet’suwet’en watersheds.
“In Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) we are saving the trees for all of us,” said Rose. “Everyone benefits from what we are doing. We will do everything in our power to protect this land. We stand up for what we believe in, with love in our hearts”.
As a fellow labour activist, I recognized the sentiment in Rose’s words. Within the labour movement, we know that when unions fight for better working conditions those benefits ripple outwards, lifting up other workers, their families and entire communities. If we can grasp that in a labour context, we can extend that understanding to climate action or, as Rose calls it, “climate defense.”
Rose acts to protect both water and the trees. She describes the balance between the watershed and the old growth.
“Water gives life … the ancient trees give us the oxygen, controls the temperature of our mother called earth.”
Forests are the lungs of the earth. The Fairy Creek watershed holds trees that are estimated to be over 1,000 years old and more than 75% of the forest is over 250 years old. Old forests, like this one, are estimated to store twice as much carbon as mature forests and six times more than clearcuts. Old-growth forests are invaluable, irreplaceable ecosystems.
We are shifting away from the industrial logging practices of the past. In doing so, we’re seeing the emergence of new, sustainable economies—eco-tourism, education, research, and, most importantly, Indigenous sovereignty. For many First Nations in BC, including the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht peoples, whose territories overlap in the Fairy Creek region, old-growth forests are a source of cultural, spiritual, medicinal, and economic value. The three Nations’ stewardship agreement over the Fairy Creek region reflects a shared commitment to manage and protect these lands for future generations.
The relationship to the land, to the old growth forests, is seen as an ancestral duty. The BC government approved a legal order to extend temporary protections in the Fairy Creek watershed until Sept. 30, 2026. This gives the three Nations time to plan for its future, which does include economic growth, but done in a manner that respects the interconnected relationship of the watershed itself and those ancient groves.
Rose sums it when she says, “we are not against logging. We are against the destruction of our mother called Earth”.
Rose reminds me that, in sharing her story and her teachings, I now share in the responsibility to act.
“When there is a movement happening, it is not just for Indigenous communities. It is for the entire world. We have no choice.”
I urge you to learn more, do more and, when the land defenders call for help, answer. As members of the labour movement, we have a duty to deconstruct colonialism, to challenge hierarchy, and to build systems rooted in equality and solidarity. These are values that echo through both labour and Indigenous communities.
“Land defenders are well educated individuals who are thinking of future generations,” said Rose. “We are the caring kind, teachers, students, doctors, parents… answering the call to action to protect our communities’ future. Ada’itsx is a tiny part of the last rainforest that is the home base of some of the rare creatures that are going extinct”.
As allies, we must raise awareness, carry forward teachings, and help, as Rose puts it, to “build the Rainbow Nation together.”
Photo of Fairy Creek, with permission from Rose Henry
