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A book by John Vaillant
Published in 2005 by Knopf Canada. Hardcover 272 pages.
For over 200 years, a 50-metre tall golden Sitka Spruce shone like a beacon in the rain forest of Haida Gwaii. Revered by the Haida, this tree was sacred to them. Thousands of tourists, naturalists, horticulturists and pilgrims came to see and honour this tree in the last 80 years. In the middle of the night on January 20, 1997, Grant Hadwin swam naked, towing a chainsaw behind him in an inflated bag, across the Yakoun River on Graham Island in the Queen Charlottes. Several hours later he left the golden spruce teetering on its stump, to crash to the ground two days later.
Author John Vaillant’s narrative skilfully weaves together a rich tapestry of west coast logging history, the Haida culture and history, European colonization history, the story of Grant Hadwin, and of course the tree itself. The Golden Spruce begins with an evocative description of the west coast rain forest, the interface between the ocean and the mountains, and the unlikely germination of one tiny teardrop-shaped seed, “about the size of a grain of sand,” about 300 years ago. This seed would grow into K’iid K’iyaas: Elder Spruce Tree – a human who had been transformed into a tree according to Haida legend. “Sixteen storeys tall and six metres around, the golden spruce was unique in the botanical world.” (p. 19)
The history and scope of logging the coastal forests of British Columbia is well described by Vaillant. Filled with anecdotes and gruesome stories that are told perhaps a bit too graphically for some readers, the history and evolution of logging is depicted in rich detail. We learn of the historical evolution of techniques to fall and remove trees from the forest, from axes and oxen to high riggers perched 50 metres above the ground on “spar trees”, to heli-logging. We also learn of the ways that a logger can be injured or die from glancing blows and horrific chain saw accidents to impalements on spear-like saplings.
Vaillant also describes the rich history of the Haida nation, from European contact to present. Because of the rich bounty of the sea around Haida Gwaii, the Haida were afforded time to develop other aspects beyond a hunting and gathering culture, including the rich art history and the famous monumental totem poles.
Grant Hadwin’s character is also investigated by Vaillant, to expose what would motivate a man to such an act of desecration. Hadwin, a mysterious character in real life, and expert wilderness traveller and woodsman, disappears, never to be found (to this day), adding another level of intrigue to this legendary story.
I received The Golden Spruce from my daughter’s boyfriend last Christmas. It circulated in the family for several months before I finally picked it up and read it this summer. Not only was the book very readable, but also very informative as I learned much about logging, history and the Haida. It kept my interest to the end. I would highly recommend The Golden Spruce as a good gift to set beneath the Christmas tree. . . .
Ted Cheskey is a Nature Canada staff member.
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