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A forest advocacy group says it has discovered an unprotected old-growth forest that is home to a near-record sized Sitka spruce tree on Vancouver Island.

The Ancient Forest Alliance says the 3.3-metre wide tree was found on lands owned by TimberWest Corporation, near the town of Port Renfrew, also known as Canada’s tall tree capital.

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According to the Big Tree Registry, the tree is the tenth widest Sitka spruce in Canada.

Now the group, which lobbies to keep old-growth forests from being logged, is petitioning B.C.’s New Democrat government to buy the land from TimberWest.

AFA executive director Ken Wu says finding a grove of unprotected giant Sitka spruce trees is significant given that the vast majority have been logged in the valley where they grow.

Wu says the area, which they have nicknamed FernGully Grove, is also home to dozens of one to two metre wide trees, giant sword ferns, and is the habitat for elk, deer, wolves, cougars and black bears. He says the grove “needs to be bought and protected by the province.”

Wu says in the past, TimberWest has held back from logging some contentious sites while negotiations for their purchase or protection have been underway.

He is hoping the company will do the same in FernGully Grove.

TimberWest and B.C.’s Ministry of Forests have been contacted with a request for information about potential plans for the area.

ticrawford@postmedia.com