Webinar

Old Growth is Awesome

March 2025

Impressive and awe-inspiring? Check! Supporting complex ecosystems? Check! Storing vast amounts of carbon? Check! Being a home for endangered beings? Check! Protecting communities from climate impacts like wildfires and drought? Check! Containing incredible cultural importance? Check! Supporting a diverse economy, from tourism to recreation? Check! The real question is what can’t old-growth forests do?

This webinar is about how incredible old-growth forests are in terms of biodiversity, a livable climate, Indigenous stewardship, tourism, recreation and much more. We provide an update on provincial old growth policies and discuss the importance of supporting Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and other Indigenous-led solutions for old-growth in B.C.

Our incredible panel includes Saya Masso, a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in Clayoqout Sound who spoke about IPCAs and the recent success of protecting old-growth forests in his territory; Ross Reid, an environmental educator and outdoor filmmaker who is using his successful social media account “Nerdy About Nature” to provide fun and accessible education about the natural world; and Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s Senior Policy and Science Advisor who talked about the most promising paths towards conservation this year. This webinar was moderated by SCBC organizer Ascher Goodman.

Explore resources from the webinar

Call for a change on the ground for old growth. You can send a letter using our letter-writing tool.
Call for a provincial law that prioritizes biodiversity and ecosystem health. You can send a letter using our letter-writing tool.
Ross Reid interviewed Saya Masso on his podcast. Watch it here.
Read the forest letter from 14 NGOs to federal parties
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Meet the Speakers

Saya Masso

Saya Masso is a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in Clayoqout Sound and has worked for the past 20 years for his Nation growing and establishing its Tribal Park program, and laying the groundwork for one of the first Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in Canada. He is a husband and a father of three. His family keeps him passionate about the future. Residing in Opitsaht, on Meares Island, he currently works to establish long-term relationships with the tourism industry in Tofino, with the goal for all visitors to the area to become aware of Tribal Parks and how to respectfully visit them.

Ross Reid

Ross Reid is an environmental educator and outdoor filmmaker who grew up in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. He is better known by his successful social media account “Nerdy About Nature,” which he launched in 2019 as a joke between friends who were tired of him constantly talking about all the trees around us. The project really took off during the pandemic and has since evolved into a way to provide fun, accessible education about the world around us to inspire and engage folks with the outdoors – boasting an impressive 287 thousand followers on Instagram.

Jens Wieting

Jens Wieting is Sierra Club BC’s Senior Policy and Science Advisor. He works on protecting old growth ecosystems in B.C. and advocating for strong climate action to phase out fossil fuels and speed up the transition to zero emissions. His primary focus are solutions to maintain the ecological integrity and the climate-stabilizing role of globally rare temperate rainforests in B.C., from Vancouver Island to the Great Bear Rainforest.