A view from Cortes. Image: Daniel J. Pierce
Old growth forest on Cortes. Image: Daniel J Pierce
Oliver Kellhammer in his 'Neo-Eocene' forest. Image: Daniel J. Pierce
An Eocene fossil. Image: Oliver Kellhammer
Planting Metasequoias. Image: Oliver Kellhammer
A team of tree-planters was hired to plant hundreds of "formerly native" species across the property, alongside the modern native trees that had been re-planted by the logging company (predominantly Douglas fir and red cedar)."It may be that in a hundred years, this valley on the east side of Cortes Island will have these beautiful groves of towering redwood trees and walnut trees and sequoias," Kellhammer told me. "But they will coexist with what remains of the former ecosystem.""Yes, we are playing God"
Hikers on Cortes. Image: Daniel J. Pierce
These hot, dry conditions can also aggravate forest fires, like the one that devastated the Alberta community of Fort McMurray earlier this year."We're working on understanding the genetic differences between populations of trees," Aitken continued, "so that we can better match the trees that we plant to new climates."Read More: How British Columbia Is Moving its Trees
Cunninghamia, one of the Eocene trees, growing in Kellhammer's garden on Cortes. Image: Daniel J. Pierce
The forest. Image: Daniel J. Pierce
A hiker on Cortes. Image: Daniel J. Pierce