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Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees
In the tradition of John Vaillant’s modern classic The Golden Spruce comes a story of the unlikely survival of one of the largest and oldest trees in Canada.
On a cool morning in the winter of 2011, a logger named Dennis Cronin was walking through a stand of old-growth forest near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island. He came across a massive Douglas fir the height of a twenty-storey building. Instead of allowing the tree to be felled, he tied a ribbon around the trunk, bearing the words “Leave Tree.” The forest was cut but the tree was saved. The solitary Douglas fir, soon known as Big Lonely Doug, controversially became the symbol of environmental activists and their fight to protect the region’s dwindling old-growth forests.
Originally featured as a long-form article in The Walrus that garnered a National Magazine Award (Silver), Big Lonely Doug weaves the ecology of old-growth forests, the legend of the West Coast’s big trees, the turbulence of the logging industry, the fight for preservation, the contention surrounding ecotourism, First Nations land and resource rights, and the fraught future of these ancient forests around the story of a logger who saved one of Canada's last great trees.
On a cool morning in the winter of 2011, a logger named Dennis Cronin was walking through a stand of old-growth forest near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island. He came across a massive Douglas fir the height of a twenty-storey building. Instead of allowing the tree to be felled, he tied a ribbon around the trunk, bearing the words “Leave Tree.” The forest was cut but the tree was saved. The solitary Douglas fir, soon known as Big Lonely Doug, controversially became the symbol of environmental activists and their fight to protect the region’s dwindling old-growth forests.
Originally featured as a long-form article in The Walrus that garnered a National Magazine Award (Silver), Big Lonely Doug weaves the ecology of old-growth forests, the legend of the West Coast’s big trees, the turbulence of the logging industry, the fight for preservation, the contention surrounding ecotourism, First Nations land and resource rights, and the fraught future of these ancient forests around the story of a logger who saved one of Canada's last great trees.
328 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2018
37 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
Harley Rustad
3 books79 followersHarley Rustad is the author of LOST IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH (2022) and BIG LONELY DOUG (2018)
He has written for Outside, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Geographical, the Guardian, CNN, and elsewhere. He is a features editor at The Walrus magazine, a faculty editor at the Banff Centre's mountain and wilderness writing residency, and the founder of the Port Renfrew Writers' Retreat.
He is originally from Salt Spring Island, BC.
He has written for Outside, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Geographical, the Guardian, CNN, and elsewhere. He is a features editor at The Walrus magazine, a faculty editor at the Banff Centre's mountain and wilderness writing residency, and the founder of the Port Renfrew Writers' Retreat.
He is originally from Salt Spring Island, BC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 7, 2018
The tree was perfect. A near record-breaker. It was close to Port Renfrew, a town humming with activity around big-tree tourism after Avatar Grove. And it was alone. It was a site that could be visited by tourists, whose photographs wouldn't even need a caption. The tree summarized the entirety of the AFA's old-growth forest conservation issue in a single staggering blink. The Ancient Forest Alliance gave it a name: Big Lonely Doug.
For an icon that apparently stands at the confluence of forestry, activism, spirituality, and ecotourism, I must admit that I had never heard of this famous tree before the book Big Lonely Doug caught my eye. Yet, I'm so happy to have decided to read this one – the five stars don't mean, “OMG, this is the best book I've read all year”, but as a historical, contextual, fair and nuanced overview of all perspectives on the logging of British Columbia's old-growth forests, I don't think that author Harley Rustad could have done a more balanced job of presenting everyone's positions. I found this read to be fascinating, informative, and nonpartisan; I couldn't have asked for more.
For thousands of years the residents of Vancouver Island have hunted big timber. It began with the coastal First Nations, who sought out large cedars deep in the forests, carefully selecting ideal specimens of western red cedar from which to carve their canoes. Then, Scottish botanists headed into uncharted bush with notebook and pencil to track down, document, and collect samples of some of the biggest trees in the world. Next, as the forest became a commercial resource, settlers delved deeper into the island's heart to locate the highest-value stands and brilliantly engineered how to extract the mammoth trees. And when environmental activists of the 1980s and '90s began to realize the scope of what was being logged – and of what remained – they found immense groves, like those in Carmanah and Clayoquot, and singular specimens to be at the centre of their campaigns. Now, tourists are going off the well-trodden paths to find the latest record-breaking tree.
Rustad covers the entire history of logging on Vancouver Island – which began with the First Nations, so the idea of “virgin forests” existing before the European settlers came was always a misnomer (and I was intrigued by the notion of “Culturally Modified Trees”; those old cedars and pines that show signs of manipulation by Natives over the centuries and which are now preserved as part of their heritage). I loved that the samples sent back to England by the first botanists had gold flakes in their roots, but none of the early scientists cared about riches beyond new taxonomy (and am fascinated by the fact that the tallest tree in the UK is a Douglas fir that was planted in the 1880s in Scotland; if that doesn't give some perspective on just how old some of our giants are, I don't know what would). Rustad gives just enough history – through the years of clear-cutting, to the rise of activism, to the efforts of the present day to balance logging with preservation and ecotourism as a replacement industry – that I leave this book feeling informed, without feeling overwhelmed or lectured to.
It isn't until halfway through this book that Rustad introduces Big Lonely Doug – through the story of the forestry engineer who, despite having selected millions of trees for cutting (including many that were bigger than this particular Douglas fir) over the course of his career, saw something special in this tree and marked it for preservation. (When asked later why he decided to spare this tree, Dennis Cronin replied, “Because I liked it.”) We then get the perspective of the activists who were mortified that only this one tree was left solitary in an apocalypse of clear-cutting, witness the rise of Big Lonely Doug as a flashpoint for fundraising and tourism (local town Port Renfrew now hosts the Tall Tree Music Festival; one cottage rental company saw revenue in 2016 that was ten times what it was in 2012), and while the activists are surprised to learn that the local First Nations community has opened a sawmill (employing 10% of their community year round) to harvest the trees that they've been given stewardship over, the First Nations reply that the activists have opened a Pandora's Box in the protected areas, with hikers going offtrail, relieving themselves in the woods, and going back on their promises to the B.C. Government to hire local First Nations guides to give historical information about the site. Honestly, every perspective is given in this book, and the future is hopeful: there wouldn't be preservation without the activists, and the ecosystem isn't as irredeemable as the more pessimistic doomsayers might believe.
Among the black bears and towering trees, the ferns and fungi, a new ecosystem has emerged from the forests of Vancouver Island. There are forces strong and weak, cataclysmic movements and hidden repercussions. There are threads that form connections that could be severed in an instant, or gradually eroded over the near-imperceptible passing of time. This ecosystem includes the rights of Indigenous peoples to monitor and manage their lands and resources. It includes timber workers concerned with getting their jobs done, providing for their families, and keeping their communities afloat. It includes activists and environmentalists who fight to protect rapidly dwindling habitats and species, and who seek a compromise with an industry that has enjoyed an unchecked reign for nearly all of its existence. This new ecosystem also includes businesses looking to the forests for new sources of revenue; tourism companies using the icon of the tree to promote resilience, determination, and strength; and towns rebranding, transforming themselves from places that value their trees cut and horizontal to places that value forests left intact and standing. At the heart of this ecosystem stands Big Lonely Doug.
This was an interesting book to read so soon after Richard Powers' Booker-nominated The Overstory: Rustad makes reference to many of the same events that Powers fictionalised in his history of tree-related activism, but what I found to be overlong and preachy from Powers, I found to be interesting and informative from Rustad. And as Rustad seems to give equal time to every perspective on this issue, I found his conclusions (and his optimism) the more persuasive. I hope this book finds its audience, because it deserves to be widely read.
August 14, 2019
During a recent ferry ride home to Vancouver Island, the cover photo of Big Lonely Doug spoke directly to me from the gift shop shelf. This striking picture of a 1000+ year old Douglas Fir tree, standing alone in the devastation of a clear cut, has captured the essence of concerns about the unchecked logging of our last Old Growth forests. Activists work tirelessly to bring attention to known 'legacy' trees, but what about those unknown giants who grow unnoticed and hidden within an Old Growth cutblock, licenced to a logging company? Who speaks for those trees?
Following the long, complex history of all of Vancouver Island's majestic forests, Rustad gives a good balance between the views of activists, foresters and Indigenous Nations, showing the changes in each party's approach to trees and to logging across the centuries. Tree huggers, politicians, big money companies, small businesses and First Nation's people each get their story told, although the activist view is favoured.
It was shocking to learn that there is no universal definition for Old Growth forest which has caused a century-long communication breakdown between activists, politicians and foresters. Also, there was no motivation for logging companies to intentionally create a renewable resource until legislated to do so in the 1980s. Loggers seem unmoved by the height and diameter of these last remaining giants since they have seen and cut down larger, taller, more gnarly trees within their careers. Forestry workers see value in a tree once horizontal; activists see value in a tree while it is still standing.
Fittingly, the opening and closing chapters feature the actions of Dennis Cronin, a forest engineer who chose to flag this particular Douglas Fir with green 'keep tree' ribbon while assessing the cutblock for clearcut logging. In flagging it, he recognized its majesty and decided its fate long before it gained celebrity and was measured to be Canada's 2nd tallest Douglas Fir. His actions are rightly celebrated many times within the book.
Keep in mind that Big Lonely Doug wasn't always the 2nd tallest tree in Canada. There were probably thousands of taller ones on Vancouver Island but these 100+ meter giants have all been lost to logging. Although the species is not near extinction, 25 generations of people will not be able to marvel at 1000+ year old Douglas Firs, Cedars and Spruce trees if protective measures are not soon put in place.
Following the long, complex history of all of Vancouver Island's majestic forests, Rustad gives a good balance between the views of activists, foresters and Indigenous Nations, showing the changes in each party's approach to trees and to logging across the centuries. Tree huggers, politicians, big money companies, small businesses and First Nation's people each get their story told, although the activist view is favoured.
It was shocking to learn that there is no universal definition for Old Growth forest which has caused a century-long communication breakdown between activists, politicians and foresters. Also, there was no motivation for logging companies to intentionally create a renewable resource until legislated to do so in the 1980s. Loggers seem unmoved by the height and diameter of these last remaining giants since they have seen and cut down larger, taller, more gnarly trees within their careers. Forestry workers see value in a tree once horizontal; activists see value in a tree while it is still standing.
Fittingly, the opening and closing chapters feature the actions of Dennis Cronin, a forest engineer who chose to flag this particular Douglas Fir with green 'keep tree' ribbon while assessing the cutblock for clearcut logging. In flagging it, he recognized its majesty and decided its fate long before it gained celebrity and was measured to be Canada's 2nd tallest Douglas Fir. His actions are rightly celebrated many times within the book.
Keep in mind that Big Lonely Doug wasn't always the 2nd tallest tree in Canada. There were probably thousands of taller ones on Vancouver Island but these 100+ meter giants have all been lost to logging. Although the species is not near extinction, 25 generations of people will not be able to marvel at 1000+ year old Douglas Firs, Cedars and Spruce trees if protective measures are not soon put in place.
January 26, 2022
4.5 stars
A short and adventurous book on the tallest trees of BC. Sadly 99% of the old growth trees are gone today!
A short and adventurous book on the tallest trees of BC. Sadly 99% of the old growth trees are gone today!
April 6, 2019
Big Lonely Doug is a big lonely tree on Vancouver Island. It is a Douglas Fir and has become a symbol of the need for forest preservation.
The book is slightly, only slightly mistitled. While Doug is the focal point, the actual text covers quite about forests, trees, conservation, and logging in Canada. It is worth noting that the sections that deal with logging are relatively even handed. True, it is impossible to less the impact of Doug standing alone in the midst of a clear cut, but Rustad does not demonize loggers or the logging companies per se. In part, this is because Big Lonely Doug was, in fact, saved by a man who worked for logging companies but whom is portrayed as a rather interesting and wonderful man.
This isn’t to say that Rustad isn’t critical when it is called for- he is. His analysis about various movements to save a forest include a great look at the advertisements that logging companies used to try to win public opinion.
But the book is the most interesting when Rustad writes about trees. Maybe it’s because I’ve read Powers’ Overstory, but there is such power when Rustad writes about connections between the trees and between the area where the trees live.
As an American, I really hadn’t heard of the Walrus before, but I am definitely paying attention to them now.
The book is slightly, only slightly mistitled. While Doug is the focal point, the actual text covers quite about forests, trees, conservation, and logging in Canada. It is worth noting that the sections that deal with logging are relatively even handed. True, it is impossible to less the impact of Doug standing alone in the midst of a clear cut, but Rustad does not demonize loggers or the logging companies per se. In part, this is because Big Lonely Doug was, in fact, saved by a man who worked for logging companies but whom is portrayed as a rather interesting and wonderful man.
This isn’t to say that Rustad isn’t critical when it is called for- he is. His analysis about various movements to save a forest include a great look at the advertisements that logging companies used to try to win public opinion.
But the book is the most interesting when Rustad writes about trees. Maybe it’s because I’ve read Powers’ Overstory, but there is such power when Rustad writes about connections between the trees and between the area where the trees live.
As an American, I really hadn’t heard of the Walrus before, but I am definitely paying attention to them now.
January 8, 2021
"Big Lonely Doug" tells the story of the old-growth forests on Vancouver Island, and explores the perspectives of the logging industry, environmental activists, Indigenous communities, and logging towns in relation to the controversial logging of these ancient trees. The lone 1000 year old Douglas fir tree named "Big Lonely Doug" was saved by a logger in a clear cut near Port Renfrew, BC, and has become a symbol for environmental activists, and shows the stark impact of logging these irreplaceable forests.
Rustad explores the ecology of old growth forests, and takes the reader through the history and rise of old-growth forest activism, and current political action underway to protect old growth forests. Rusted also touches on issues such as the challenges associated with "big-tree" ecotourism, the economic fallout from the transformation of BC's forestry industry since the 70s and 80s, and Indigenous rights and interests in BC's forests.
A great read for anyone interested in environmental issues, activism, environmental politics, or who just loves nature!
Rustad explores the ecology of old growth forests, and takes the reader through the history and rise of old-growth forest activism, and current political action underway to protect old growth forests. Rusted also touches on issues such as the challenges associated with "big-tree" ecotourism, the economic fallout from the transformation of BC's forestry industry since the 70s and 80s, and Indigenous rights and interests in BC's forests.
A great read for anyone interested in environmental issues, activism, environmental politics, or who just loves nature!
January 14, 2021
I've read two books now about big, important trees on Vancouver Island. Interestingly enough, they both had the same things to say about the history of the forestry industry.
Alas, we've almost decimated the old growth forests that defined B.C for so long, but there are pockets of hope.
This was a balanced approach to both the desperate need for conservation and the immediate economic concerns of communities that for generations have depended on forestry for survival.
The four main players are of course, the logging companies, the conservationists, the provincial government and Indigenous communities. Industry and conservation duke it out based on the framework the province determines (and bends and sways to pressures) while First Nations rights and concerns are an afterthought. (Much like the rest of occupied and unceded territory across the country.)
Rustad never gives us heroes and villians. He appreciates that economic and environmental issues are wildly complex and reflects that throughout the book.
All-in-all, an excellent read. I can't wait to get out to the coast myself and participate in some forest bathing.
Alas, we've almost decimated the old growth forests that defined B.C for so long, but there are pockets of hope.
This was a balanced approach to both the desperate need for conservation and the immediate economic concerns of communities that for generations have depended on forestry for survival.
The four main players are of course, the logging companies, the conservationists, the provincial government and Indigenous communities. Industry and conservation duke it out based on the framework the province determines (and bends and sways to pressures) while First Nations rights and concerns are an afterthought. (Much like the rest of occupied and unceded territory across the country.)
Rustad never gives us heroes and villians. He appreciates that economic and environmental issues are wildly complex and reflects that throughout the book.
All-in-all, an excellent read. I can't wait to get out to the coast myself and participate in some forest bathing.
December 2, 2022
Seriously way too wistful and long winded. I just wanted to find out about some history of forestry in the area but the author is obsessed with trying to make a compelling narrative out of boring characters. Hard to trust the author because of this but I gleaned a good overview of logging history and how forests work on Vancouver island.
September 6, 2018
Good book; loaded with history and stats. Good to know so much has been done in the preservation of some of these great sized trees.
February 6, 2023
As a child of the Westcoast, I found this book very comforting in its descriptions of the familiar topography and flora that I have come to know and love - sword ferns, salal, huckleberry bushes and trees: Cedars, Hemlocks and, of course, Douglas Firs. Rustad’s description of the wonderful things you see and feel when trampling through a Westcoast temperate rainforest was beautifully written and pulled me in during the opening pages.
The history of traditional activities in the forests, beginning with local First Nations’ peoples, and going through to the modern day resource development and conservation movements in the region was excellent background to me as someone born in the 80s and who was largely unaware of the ins and outs of the evolution in this important sector in our region.
Overall, I found the book presented information in a neutral way. Instead of pushing an ideological theme it utilized the (somewhat contradictory) image/concept of the 2nd largest Douglas Fir tree, saved by a logger, and still standing amidst clear cut around it to bring the book together and emphasize what I took to be the overarching message - the history of our forests is complicated and the future of the industry and people and communities it impacts even more so. Figuring it all out is not served by an us vs. them approach.
This book inspired me to visit a local Douglas Fir estimated to be 1000 years old. And what a wonderful experience that was. I think increasing our connection to nature is good for the soul and this book encouraged that in me and, for that, I am appreciative.
The history of traditional activities in the forests, beginning with local First Nations’ peoples, and going through to the modern day resource development and conservation movements in the region was excellent background to me as someone born in the 80s and who was largely unaware of the ins and outs of the evolution in this important sector in our region.
Overall, I found the book presented information in a neutral way. Instead of pushing an ideological theme it utilized the (somewhat contradictory) image/concept of the 2nd largest Douglas Fir tree, saved by a logger, and still standing amidst clear cut around it to bring the book together and emphasize what I took to be the overarching message - the history of our forests is complicated and the future of the industry and people and communities it impacts even more so. Figuring it all out is not served by an us vs. them approach.
This book inspired me to visit a local Douglas Fir estimated to be 1000 years old. And what a wonderful experience that was. I think increasing our connection to nature is good for the soul and this book encouraged that in me and, for that, I am appreciative.
April 7, 2019
This incredibly interesting book was recommended to me by a friend on Vancouver Island. I learned more about trees, old growth forests and environmental activism than I even knew I wanted to learn. The writing is so good. Also learned about the history of Vancouver Island which was really developed around logging and lumber, mainly massive Douglas Firs, Sitka Spruce and Cedars.
I love the Island and learned so much from this book. It is not one-sided in its treatment of logging but certainly pro saving old growth areas and explains why. The book also explains why reforestation into monoculture is not the same as old-growth but is detrimental to the diversity of both flora and fauna.
This TED talk is by one of the authors quoted in the book. How trees talk to each other | Suzanne Simard https://youtu.be/Un2yBgIAxYs
I love the Island and learned so much from this book. It is not one-sided in its treatment of logging but certainly pro saving old growth areas and explains why. The book also explains why reforestation into monoculture is not the same as old-growth but is detrimental to the diversity of both flora and fauna.
This TED talk is by one of the authors quoted in the book. How trees talk to each other | Suzanne Simard https://youtu.be/Un2yBgIAxYs
Want to read
August 2, 2019*******************
Perhaps similar to The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed by John Vaillant3 stars, which I can recommend.
January 6, 2019
The golden spruce immediately comes to mind and this book attempts to do a similar task and uses a single individual tree as a compelling historical and moral crossroads at which to exam location and activity; logging on vancouver island. I learned alot and have noted down some places i would like to see in the near future. The writing was unexceptional, but carries the point home well enough
June 24, 2025
Devastated to think of all the Big Lonely Dougs that have been/will be created until they’re all that’s left of our old growth forests.
January 30, 2019
When I ordered this book, it was with the intent of learning about Big Lonely Doug. Instead, I learned about Doug, the forest, basic tree information, historical education and, Indigenous peoples education. It was written in a manner that I felt like I was reading a novel but soaked in an education. I highly recommend "Big Lonely Doug."
April 2, 2019
In the midst of exploring Vancouver Island on the hunt for the oldest and largest trees, T. J. Watt, a photographer for an environmental organization, the Ancient Forest Alliance, stumbled upon a fresh clear-cut with an unusual feature: A solitary tree was left standing, and it happened to be one of the largest Douglas firs he’d ever laid eyes on––as tall as a twenty-storey building. Big Lonely Doug explores how the titular tree came to survive the loggers and became the poster tree for activists’ fight to save the region’s dwindling old-growth forests.
Throughout his book, Rustad takes readers through historical, cultural, and political issues that influence current logging practices and environmentalism on Vancouver Island, and this proves to be one of those pivotal decisions that greatly affects the direction the book goes and how readers experience it. The author’s choice in this respect makes Big Lonely Doug slow to start and gives it a choppy flow due to tangential information repeatedly cutting into the base narrative. On the flipside, however, readers are given great context for the subject and are able to better understand how things were able to become heated between loggers, activists, and the area’s indigenous population.
And Rustad’s even-handedness in this regard actually quite surprised me. Picking up Big Lonely Doug, I strongly suspected it would side with the environmentalists, but this is far from the truth. Though he portrays First Nations and the forest engineer who marked Doug to be left unmolested in a consistently positive light, the author makes clear that there’s good and bad with both extraction and conservation efforts, and that both sides are guilty of acting irresponsibly when it serves their own self-interest. What results is a nuanced look at a topic more frequently presented as black-and-white––one of those divisive topics where one man’s black is another one’s white, depending on their respective outlooks––and that alone is probably enough to make the book worthwhile.
Throughout his book, Rustad takes readers through historical, cultural, and political issues that influence current logging practices and environmentalism on Vancouver Island, and this proves to be one of those pivotal decisions that greatly affects the direction the book goes and how readers experience it. The author’s choice in this respect makes Big Lonely Doug slow to start and gives it a choppy flow due to tangential information repeatedly cutting into the base narrative. On the flipside, however, readers are given great context for the subject and are able to better understand how things were able to become heated between loggers, activists, and the area’s indigenous population.
And Rustad’s even-handedness in this regard actually quite surprised me. Picking up Big Lonely Doug, I strongly suspected it would side with the environmentalists, but this is far from the truth. Though he portrays First Nations and the forest engineer who marked Doug to be left unmolested in a consistently positive light, the author makes clear that there’s good and bad with both extraction and conservation efforts, and that both sides are guilty of acting irresponsibly when it serves their own self-interest. What results is a nuanced look at a topic more frequently presented as black-and-white––one of those divisive topics where one man’s black is another one’s white, depending on their respective outlooks––and that alone is probably enough to make the book worthwhile.
December 4, 2021
I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. A book about a tree? Who's "lonely"? And his name is Doug? Ok, I figured there'd be a lot of anthropomorphizing going on. It turns out I was wrong, and I'm absolutely fine with that!
Instead, this nonfiction work tells a story about the great, old growth trees on Vancouver Island (aside: I really want to visit Vancouver Island one day!), but especially of one tree that was "discovered" (not really discovered, but more like "encountered", because Indigenous peoples have long ago discovered these things) by a logger named Dennis Cronin, who saw this tree amidst a forest set to be cleared and decided that this tree was too grand to be cut, that it needed to be saved. And saved it was. This extremely tall, extremely large Douglas fir that stood alone in a clear-cut field came to be known as "Big Lonely Doug".
Rustad goes on to talk about the rift between environmental activists, who are desperately trying to save old-growth trees and preserve the ecosystem, and loggers, who see trees only in terms of the value of the timber and just want to get their job done. Personally, I'm on the side of the environmental activists. Trees are precious resources and it is overly-simplistic to think that the consequences of felling a tree are erased by planting a new tree.
While this is an interesting book, I wouldn't label it as a "page-turner". It did take me a while to read, but it is so fascinating to read about trees. I can't say I'd ever read a book about them before, but they are true marvels of nature and there's a lot we can learn about them. Just as the quote printed on the front of the book, I want to go meet Doug! I want to see this large tree, but I also want large trees like that to be common.
Instead, this nonfiction work tells a story about the great, old growth trees on Vancouver Island (aside: I really want to visit Vancouver Island one day!), but especially of one tree that was "discovered" (not really discovered, but more like "encountered", because Indigenous peoples have long ago discovered these things) by a logger named Dennis Cronin, who saw this tree amidst a forest set to be cleared and decided that this tree was too grand to be cut, that it needed to be saved. And saved it was. This extremely tall, extremely large Douglas fir that stood alone in a clear-cut field came to be known as "Big Lonely Doug".
Rustad goes on to talk about the rift between environmental activists, who are desperately trying to save old-growth trees and preserve the ecosystem, and loggers, who see trees only in terms of the value of the timber and just want to get their job done. Personally, I'm on the side of the environmental activists. Trees are precious resources and it is overly-simplistic to think that the consequences of felling a tree are erased by planting a new tree.
While this is an interesting book, I wouldn't label it as a "page-turner". It did take me a while to read, but it is so fascinating to read about trees. I can't say I'd ever read a book about them before, but they are true marvels of nature and there's a lot we can learn about them. Just as the quote printed on the front of the book, I want to go meet Doug! I want to see this large tree, but I also want large trees like that to be common.
August 30, 2019
This isn't a particularly uplifting book as the facts are grim: 75% of the original old-growth forests in southern BC have been logged, including over 90% of the valleys where the largest trees grow. In BC the government has been preoccupied with maintaining employment and not with concern over the rapid diminishing of old-growth forests.
Big Lonely Doug is a Douglas fir that stands all alone in a clear cut. Due to its age - maybe 500 to 100 years old, it was marked to be allowed to stand. It's almost 70 m tall. The pictures of it with a man beside it are astounding! So far it's been able to withstand weather even though the surrounding trees have been logged.
The author describes the attempt to work with the logging industry to slow down the clear cutting (which is the cheapest method) of these ancient forests. Replanting isn't much of a consolation, as forests with trees of the same age have much less biodiversity. Having a multi-layered canopy allows for more species of plant and animal habitats. In fact, some species are endangered because they can only live in old-growth forests.
Check out the Ancient Forest Alliance for facts, figures, and images. I was given a membership as a gift and I really value it. Thank you to those volunteers and workers who are campaigning on behalf of the silent and dying forests who can't speak for themselves.
Big Lonely Doug is a Douglas fir that stands all alone in a clear cut. Due to its age - maybe 500 to 100 years old, it was marked to be allowed to stand. It's almost 70 m tall. The pictures of it with a man beside it are astounding! So far it's been able to withstand weather even though the surrounding trees have been logged.
The author describes the attempt to work with the logging industry to slow down the clear cutting (which is the cheapest method) of these ancient forests. Replanting isn't much of a consolation, as forests with trees of the same age have much less biodiversity. Having a multi-layered canopy allows for more species of plant and animal habitats. In fact, some species are endangered because they can only live in old-growth forests.
Check out the Ancient Forest Alliance for facts, figures, and images. I was given a membership as a gift and I really value it. Thank you to those volunteers and workers who are campaigning on behalf of the silent and dying forests who can't speak for themselves.
January 7, 2019
I can't remember where I first heard about Big Lonely Doug, but with a name like that, how could I resist this book?
Harley Rustad has done a very fine job of distilling the history of commercial logging in British Columbia in under 300 pages. At first, as I read the several historical chapters, I was asking myself where Doug was, but I quickly found myself caught up in the narrative. I vividly remember the War for the Woods, the era of environmental activism that sometimes spilled into violent confrontations and acts of Eco-terrorism (tree spiking, vandalism). These were interesting chapters.
But where was Doug? This is where the book came alive for me. The mental image of this magnificent Douglas fir standing all alone in a clear cut was irresistible. I loved reading about Dennis Cronin, the logger who saved Doug. I liked the balance that Rustad showed, making the reader realize that there are caring folks on both sides of the arguments about old growth forests. At the end of the book, I was feeling real frustration that successive governments have been so indifferent to the legacy of these trees.
Harley Rustad has done a very fine job of distilling the history of commercial logging in British Columbia in under 300 pages. At first, as I read the several historical chapters, I was asking myself where Doug was, but I quickly found myself caught up in the narrative. I vividly remember the War for the Woods, the era of environmental activism that sometimes spilled into violent confrontations and acts of Eco-terrorism (tree spiking, vandalism). These were interesting chapters.
But where was Doug? This is where the book came alive for me. The mental image of this magnificent Douglas fir standing all alone in a clear cut was irresistible. I loved reading about Dennis Cronin, the logger who saved Doug. I liked the balance that Rustad showed, making the reader realize that there are caring folks on both sides of the arguments about old growth forests. At the end of the book, I was feeling real frustration that successive governments have been so indifferent to the legacy of these trees.
November 9, 2019
This is a beautiful work of non-fiction that seamlessly weaves together the stories of activists, timber workers, government, aboriginal communities, and logging companies as they all compete to define the importance and economic or social relevance of Old Growth forests. The writing and reporting are excellent, but I think it could have benefitted from restructuring the book to start with Big Lonely Doug, and then transitioning into the context and color of all the other trees and groves in the area being battled around, and then finishing by building more on Big Lonely Doug. As it is, Big Lonely Doug isn’t introduced until about the mid-way point, and I was honestly a bit confused about where the book was going. In any case, this is absolutely worth a read for anyone interested in Canada and environmental issues. It is whimsical, inspiring, and thought-provoking as the author refuses to take “sides” and isn’t afraid to point out the flaws in the work of activists and environmentalists that choose specific trees or groves to market, sometimes for questionable reasons and with dubious results.
June 27, 2025
This well-balanced discussion of the mighty Douglas fir saved in a clearcut on Vancouver Island and how its presence created a new focus for the saving of old growth forests is both informative and thought-provoking.
Rustad's tale encompasses a wide scope: from the Douglas fir's discovery by colonial botanists, the logging industry that soon grew to harvest them and other giant trees, the many Acts that government passed to protect the future of the industry, to the activists who want to save all ancient trees as well as the Indigenous people who watch both sides of this well-known debate as they work to save forests for their own future (especially those with culturally significant status, primarily Western red cedars).
The individuals that populate this discussion are presented fairly, allowing us to see their motives and overall philosophies. There were a couple of repetitive paragraphs, due to a non-linear tale, but for the most part, the book brings us along on a journey of discovery where Big Lonely Doug (now named after the forest engineer who saved it because he liked it--Dennis Cronin) is only a small symbolic tree in the wider wild forests on Vancouver Island.
Rustad's tale encompasses a wide scope: from the Douglas fir's discovery by colonial botanists, the logging industry that soon grew to harvest them and other giant trees, the many Acts that government passed to protect the future of the industry, to the activists who want to save all ancient trees as well as the Indigenous people who watch both sides of this well-known debate as they work to save forests for their own future (especially those with culturally significant status, primarily Western red cedars).
The individuals that populate this discussion are presented fairly, allowing us to see their motives and overall philosophies. There were a couple of repetitive paragraphs, due to a non-linear tale, but for the most part, the book brings us along on a journey of discovery where Big Lonely Doug (now named after the forest engineer who saved it because he liked it--Dennis Cronin) is only a small symbolic tree in the wider wild forests on Vancouver Island.
May 12, 2025
This book looks at the logging industry in British Columbia, Canada, mostly on Vancouver Island. “Big Lonely Doug” is what was found to be the second-tallest Douglas fir in Canada as the loggers were clear cutting everything around it. There was nothing stopping them from taking down this particular tree, either, except the guy who was marking what goes and what stays (very little stays), decided this tree should stay.
It’s sad how toothless the guidelines are that allow the companies to take the biggest oldest trees (it’s possible Big Lonely Doug is over 1000 years old! But one can’t really know for sure until the tree comes down and they can read the tree rings). The book looks at both the logging companies, as well as environmentalists/activists on Vancouver Island, and what is happening in those forests on the island. Also sad to read that they are logging the forests on Vancouver Island faster than the Amazon (though it’s the Amazon that gets all the media coverage).
It’s sad how toothless the guidelines are that allow the companies to take the biggest oldest trees (it’s possible Big Lonely Doug is over 1000 years old! But one can’t really know for sure until the tree comes down and they can read the tree rings). The book looks at both the logging companies, as well as environmentalists/activists on Vancouver Island, and what is happening in those forests on the island. Also sad to read that they are logging the forests on Vancouver Island faster than the Amazon (though it’s the Amazon that gets all the media coverage).
December 16, 2019
It took awhile to read this book, even if it is a quick enough read; I didn't finish it the first time I loaned it from the library and decided to just buy a copy four our bookshelf since the wait to check it out was too long! I am happy to have this book in my small collection of books.
I learned so much about the logging industry in Canada and various issues surrounding forest preservation, especially for old growth forests and trees. I had basic information about Big Lonely Doug and now feel a kinship to this tree on Vancouver Island.
Books like this one are important for everyone because they present different perspectives to complex issues like environmental conservation and sustainability when economic growth is concerned. It's hard for people to understand how one tree is that important when people need jobs to make money.
I learned so much about the logging industry in Canada and various issues surrounding forest preservation, especially for old growth forests and trees. I had basic information about Big Lonely Doug and now feel a kinship to this tree on Vancouver Island.
Books like this one are important for everyone because they present different perspectives to complex issues like environmental conservation and sustainability when economic growth is concerned. It's hard for people to understand how one tree is that important when people need jobs to make money.
June 21, 2019
I really appreciated the time Rustad gives to the forestry worker who saved Doug and he does touch on some key issues, such as the exclusion of Indigenous interests in the big-tree conservation movement and the sometimes narrow focus of the groups involved in said movement. But overall, it felt like what it was - a long-form article crammed with more trivia to make it book-length. I found it generally unfocused and Rustad's writing can be uneven: at times, it has great clarity and fluidity while in many spots, it gets really bogged down in purple and not particularly effective description, relying on the same terms and imagery over and over again. Rustad is a competent journalist but he doesn't tell a great story.
November 13, 2019
I am looking out my window through the mist at my neighbor urban Douglas Firs which might be 100 years old and marvel at the thought of 1000 year old relatives that have been growing in ideal conditions on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Besides giving those of us who live in Douglas Fir territory a opportunity to vicariously visit some of the remnants of our old growth forests, Rustad gives us a chance to understand the tensions that have evolved as the people who live and make a living from these forests as we face the decisions we have to make about the last of these amazing habitats.
Rustad does an outstanding job of describing the forests and the people who live among them and what is at stake.
Rustad does an outstanding job of describing the forests and the people who live among them and what is at stake.
January 2, 2023
This easy-to-read book is about Big Lonely Doug, the lone old-growth Douglas fir left standing in a clear cut forestry block on Vancouver Island. But it's also about much more than Big Lonely Doug. The book weaves together a brief overview of forestry practices in pre-contact BC until up until the 2010's, the science of the thriving, interconnected, and complex ecosystem that is an old growth forest and an overview of the politics of modern ecotourism, forestry practices, and Indigenous land rights and usage. It ends on a hopeful note, imagining a future where environmental activists, the forestry industry and Indigenous people's might work together to manage the last of BC's old growth forests.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2024
Dennis Cronin a logger in 2011 decides to mark a large Douglas Fir on a clear cut site north of Port Renfrew British Colombia as do not cut. This tree turns out to be the second largest Douglas Fir in Canada and is probably 1000 plus years old. Several years later it is discovered by an environmental photographer and the image of the gargantuan tree in the middle of a clear cut is used by environmental groups to promote preservation of old growth forests. The book uses this story to discuss the BC forestry industry and the old growth forests of BC. It is astonishing that the province of BC still allows the continued cutting of old growth forests. This is a crime. Another good book by John Vaillant.
October 13, 2023
I was there at the War in the Woods, and Rustad’s excellent book has brought it all back for me: the protests and demonstrations, the victories of South Moresby, Carmanah and the Walbran. But it turns out they weren’t victories afterall; they were concessions, but they didn’t change the minds of the Provincial government or the logging companies about the true value of old growth forests, which are now on the brink of extinction. The lessons have not been learned: we’ve recently had a second war in the woods where the RCMP brutally enforced court orders. Rustad’s book is a homage to a tree and an ecosystem that our children will only be able to read about.
September 22, 2024
Big Lonely Doug by Harley Rustad is a well-researched and balanced book that I couldn’t put down. Rustad masterfully weaves together history, personal stories, and the realities of logging on Vancouver Island in a fast-paced narrative that left me wanting to learn more in the best possible way. As someone who lives on Vancouver Island and has visited Big Lonely Doug, walking some of the other trails mentioned, this book gave me a much deeper understanding of what is happening and why. Rustad doesn’t shy away from explaining the economics of logging, its relationship with First Nations, and the stark reality of what we have already lost.
May 6, 2020
Canadians have complicated relationships with our natural resources. Rustad showed this through his book by touching on logging, ecology, politics and indigenous issues, and activism. Overall, a good exposé.
I was disappointed that he didn't expand the focus on the issue in other parts of the province or in the entire country.
I found the writing at times got a bit unfocused. However, I sped through some sections and got bogged down in others that didn't hang together in a way that kept me interested.
Overall an illuminating read.
I was disappointed that he didn't expand the focus on the issue in other parts of the province or in the entire country.
I found the writing at times got a bit unfocused. However, I sped through some sections and got bogged down in others that didn't hang together in a way that kept me interested.
Overall an illuminating read.
October 13, 2024
Rustad's text gives readers a chance to encounter the theatre of west coast environmentalism organically. Part scientific, political and biographical narrative, Big Lonely Doug shows how far British Columbia and Vancouver Island have come from the days of clear-cutting. Moreover, Rustad's work shows how far there is left to go. Although there are some passages that read like unnecessary extensions of the original long form magazine article, Rustad remains faithful to his subject matter and produces an insightful product.
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