Forests Of Canada
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+ Cathedral G.located in MacMillan Park, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver + Island. The park protects and preserves an internationally significant representative example of Douglas fir old-growth + forest within the Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone. + + Here visitors can stroll through a network of trails under the shadow of towering ancient Douglas fir trees, majestic + pillars untouched by the modern world, some more than 800 years old. + + Trails on either side of the highway lead visitors through the mighty stands of this coastal forest. On the south side + you will find the largest Douglas firs, one measuring more than 9 metres in circumference. On the northern side of the + road you’ll find groves of ancient western
+Forests Of Canada
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+ Indigenous cultures have a long history of stewarding the land in Cathedral Grove - MacMillan park. These trees provided + indigenous people including the K’ómoks, Tseshaht, and Te’mexw, with raw materials to support their shelter, + transportation, clothing, and tools. + + When Europeans settled on Vancouver Island, the land came to be owned by logging companies. Governor General Viscount + Willingdon is credited with bestowing the name “Cathedral Grove” on the park in the 1920s, and even then, it was already + a popular destination for tourists. For many years, the public petitioned the government unsuccessfully to preserve and + protect the land for future generations. In 1944, a forester named H.R MacMillan donated 136 hectares and this site was + formally dedicated as a Class A Provincial Park three years later.
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