Educational Media Reviews Online

Over three decades ago a series of protest blockades known as the War in the Woods prevented logging companies from clearcutting old-growth forests in Clayoquot Sound in British Columbia, the current home of the Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, and the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations. At their most powerful point in the summer of 1993, thousands of activists joined the protests, resulting in the arrests of over 800 people. Meanwhile, media attention from around the world drew support for the protection of Clayoquot Sound, with members of the public joining in boycotts of companies that manufactured their products using timber from British Columbia. Eventually, designated areas of the Clayoquot Sound ancient forests were preserved, and First Nations were given a voice in the future of the region. War for the Woods, a film by Sean Stiller and Geoff Morrison, examines the history of the Clayoquot Sound protests, asking how to make critical use of lessons learned in their aftermath.

There is no single correct approach to look back on the blockades and ensuing events and War for the Woods does an excellent job of blending ways of retrospectively analyzing the protests into a cohesive whole. Scientific facts about old-growth forests supply viewers with foundational knowledge for understanding why so many people have taken an interest in Clayoquot Sound. As part of a temperate rainforest the trees there have incredible carbon-sequestering capabilities and support a diverse ecosystem. The protests themselves can be recognized as historic events, not only for the number of arrests, but also for the strategy employed. Environmental organizations involved there had long recognized the futility of continuing to work with politicians and logging companies and made a tactical decision to raise clearcutting from a regional to an international issue. While the film highlights the importance of this work in preserving areas of Clayoquot Sound, it places it alongside an uncomfortable fact - clearcutting is still routinely practiced throughout Canadian old-growth forests.

However, the most important voices that War for the Woods brings to this analysis of the protests and ongoing conservation efforts are those of Clayoquot Sound’s indigenous people. In an early, poignant moment, Peggy Fraser, an indigenous activist who was arrested during the summer of 1993, recounts a conversation with her uncle about her role there. He insists that she was correcting, not protesting, and offers a word from their language that better describes her actions. The film also highlights modern indigenous-led preservation and protection efforts, consistently depicting environmental stewardship and knowledge as a cultural value rooted in the belief that the Canadian wilderness isn’t the product of ecological spontaneity, but instead a garden that’s been carefully cultivated by generations of indigenous peoples.

War for the Woods would be excellent learning material for classes covering the application of indigenous values, practices, and ways of knowing to mainstream science, as well as classes examining activism and protest movements. Approaches used in the film for examining a single event (scientific, activist, indigenous) may be transferable to other course material. The film is recommended for colleges and universities with environmental science or ecology programs, and for public libraries, particularly those serving communities with a history of activism.

Awards:
Best Environmental Documentary, Montreal Independent Film Festival; Golden Sheaf / Indigenous Award, Yorkton Film Festival

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