Denman Conservancy Association

After a ten year campaign by DCA to preserve this forest block, the Province of British Columbia acquired the Lindsay Dickson property for preservation of its natural values in April 2001, and transferred it to Islands Trust Fund..

The Lindsay Dickson property is 134 acres of forested land and foreshore on East Road, Denman Island. This is the remaining forested portion of a large family holding purchased early in the 20th century by Dr. Lindsay Dickson.

The property was hand logged in the early 1900s, a small orchard was established and for a while the family ran a small dairy farm. Most of their land was left untouched.

The Reserve is owned by Islands Trust Fund and managed by Denman Conservancy Association. DCA holds a conservation covenant on the Reserve..

Natural Features

Vegetation:

Nearly the entire property is forested. Most of the western portion is large second growth Douglas fir; two low-lying patches are predominantly red alder. The 600 meters of forested shoreline are particularly noteworthy. The area adjacent to the shoreline, through which East Road passes supports a remnant patch of largely undisturbed ancient forest. This grove (perhaps 25 acres in extent) contains several dozen exceptionally large Douglas firs, western red cedars and grand firs. This is one of the few forests on Denman Island with abundant large fallen trees, in all stages of decay.

An invasion of English Ivy located between East Road and the sea shore is being removed by DCA volunteers.

Mammals:

River otters and mink are both common along the shoreline. Black tailed deer are frequently seen crossing East Road on the property. The closed-canopy forest is probably particularly important to deer as a refuge during the few weeks of snow cover that the island experiences in most winters.

Birds:

The property supports the usual community found in this dwindling habitat type. There is an active bald eagle nest in the dead top of a Douglas fir near East Road. The combination of forest snags and adjacent abandoned farm land make this an ideal hunting ground for all raptors. Hawks are common, and owls are often heard. Common ravens, by no means common on Denman Island, are frequently seen and heard here.

The threatened marbled murrelet is locally common in summer on Lambert Channel; one of the localities where adults and, in late summer, young are seen is the vicinity of the Lindsay Dickson property. These small seabirds nest on large limbs in old coastal forest; it is quite possible that they breed on the property.

The Lindsay Dickson place has suported a great blue heron colony in years past.

Foreshore:

Some remnants of native shell middens were found and recorded in 1975.

Much of the Lindsay Dickson foreshore is the bedded sedimentary rock interspersed with gravel beaches that characterizes the Eastern shore of Denman Island.

Along the shoreline sandstone is eroded into deeply sculpted, rounded organic shapes. The drift logs deposited by storm tides and the undercut roots of shoreline trees are heavily used by otters and mink.

Map showing the location of Lindsay Dickson Forest on Denman Island (68 KB)

Photos of the Forest

Old growth forest in this climate is fairly open with well spaced large trees. These Western Red Cedar trees have many tangled branches. Large fallen logs litter the forest floor.

This cedar tree has been used in the past by First Nations people. They stripped slabs off living trees for construction of their houses and canoes. This tree is now described as 'culturally modified'.

Along the shore are good nesting sites for Bald Eagles. A strong, high tree is required to support the massive nest built up over a period of years by these very large birds.

Photo courtesy of:
Lynn Thompson

mail to Lynn

Fungi have colonised this fallen tree. This is part of the process of recycling the nutrients and energy stored by the living tree.

Goldenback fern (Pentagramma triangularis) is found in this forest. It is rare in this region.

Douglas Fir veterans like this one have survived several catastrophic fires that swept the island over the past several hundred years.

Along the beach ancient Douglas firs lean out over the high tide line.