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The Secret Forest in B.C.: Some worry a rich cache of petrified wood could disappear
Maclean's April 1, 2006
Singleton, a learning assistant at an elementary school, excitedly examined some logs. The petrified wood was heavy and had patterns of brown, black, cream, tan and grey blended together. She could see wood grain patterns and the tree's growth rings in some pieces; other chunks had cracks filled with sparkling quartz crystals. Capstick, from Kelowna, first visited the site back in 2001, using a geological guidebook from the 1960s along with a GPS receiver and digital maps. Now, in the fall of 2005, he had returned with Singleton to show her where he'd seen a particularly impressive log. "But we went to the spot," recalls Singleton now, "and there was nothing but a big empty hole."
It turns out someone had visited the site and removed a large amount of wood; other logs had been excavated, ready for removal. "It's upsetting to see this happen, because in time it will all be gone," says Singleton, who agreed to speak on the condition that the exact location of the site wouldn't be revealed. "You wish your kids could get a chance to see it."
Petrified wood is essentially a fossilized log formed when trees are washed downstream onto a flood plain and then covered by volcanic sand and silt. Over millions of years, water containing dissolved silica seeps into the buried logs, and the mineral gradually replaces the wood. Sometimes the process destroys the cell walls, but in other cases, the silica replaces the wood molecule for molecule, preserving the original structure of the tree.
Sites like this are scattered around the world--one of the most famous is Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, known for its massive amounts of well-preserved, beautifully coloured wood. The material near Kamloops isn't considered as high-quality, but local rockhounds say the site is significant because it's one of the bigger areas of petrified wood in the region and it's on Crown land. Many other known sites in B.C. are on private ranchland or are located in extremely remote areas.
Petrified wood is sold at gem and mineral shows, rock shops, and over the Internet. According to Frank Tierney, a Vancouver collector who sells it, the price starts at $1 a pound, but it can be worth more if it's considered "gem quality," meaning it has good colour, no fractures, and the growth rings are visible. Large pieces are used for landscaping material, while smaller chunks are cut and polished and made into bookends or jewellery.
Most rockhounds follow a strict code: they take only a few items. Frank Tierney says he buys only from collectors who follow the rules: "You get to know people. You see some with a truckload of stuff all from one place, and you know they've overdone it."
In B.C., you don't need a permit to remove fossils, including petrified wood, from Crown land (unless you use heavy machinery). Vivian Thomas, communications manager for the Ministry of Forests and Range, says the government is concerned about commercial collecting and the loss of scientific information, and is considering establishing a permit system for fossil collectors. However, even with a permit system in place, it would be very difficult for officials to monitor the situation.
Brent Olsen has visited the petrified forest several times since he starting working for the Kamloops Forest District in 1981. The district has avoided creating additional roads and trails that would make the site more accessible, and nearby logging operations are instructed to destroy their skid trails so people can't drive through with ATVs or snowmobiles, which could be used to transport the heavy, fossilized wood. The petrified forest is designated an Old Growth Management Area, meaning no logging can take place there.
It's been four years since Olsen last visited the forest, but he's planning to check up on it this spring after the snow melts. "If somebody has built an unauthorized trail, we can rehabilitate it so it's not driveable."
Other petrified forests have been victims of plunder. At Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park, several tons of petrified wood are stolen each year, despite the efforts of park staff, who can levy fines or have the culprits arrested. In B.C., the rockhounds are hoping their site won't be completely cleaned out by people with commercial interests. However, if the petrified forest becomes too popular amongst rockhounds, that alone could bring an end to the site's millions of years of history. Three pieces of petrified wood are now in De Singleton home. "It's true that if enough people did what I did," she says, "the site would be gone."