Fernie author releases book on the giants of the forests of Interior BC

A big book of big trees in British Columbia will be hitting book-stands in December.

Local Fernie author Terry Nelson has put years of research into his latest book, ‘Big Trees of Inland Temperate Forest of British Columbia’, which will take readers through hundreds of some of the giants of the forests of this part of the world.

“If I was to describe the book, it’s a guide to becoming a big-tree seeker yourself,” said Nelson, who said he had a personal catalog of many more big trees than appear in this book, which had been inspired by his desire to learn more about what trees were out there that needed protecting.

“It has been a good journey for me. It’s a personal achievement in the sense that I’ve grown with it in my broader understanding. There’s a lot of good people I’ve met along the way with a lot of respect for the importance of forests. I didn’t just spend a lot of time going around the bush, but a lot of time educating myself. I have a wealth of knowledge that hopefully I can share with people.”

To that end the book includes information on the biological and geographical description of the area, and what sort of big trees you can go find, and what you might encounter out in the forest.

It features hundreds of photos, with Nelson having found every tree featured within, and measured them all to see if they qualify as a ‘big tree’ according to the BC Big Tree Registry.

Researching the book took five years – but readers get to share in Nelson’s research as his book includes coordinates of every tree included. Some can be reached by road, some are near highways and in small parks, but some are off the beaten track and require an adventurous spirit to locate.

“I went into some rather remote places,” said Nelson.

For the Elk Valley locals, there’s plenty for us here too, with a few trees from the East Kootenays included.

“I could do a big trees of Fernie books no problem, because Fernie’s got lots of awesome trees,” said Nelson.

Nelson’s book, ‘Big Trees of Inland Temperate Forests of British Columbia’ will be on sale from December at independent bookstores. The book will be launched locally at the Fernie Museum on December 3, from 7pm.

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