History
Elkington Forest is a beautiful 385 ha. (950 acre) privately managed forest located at the southern boundary of the Cowichan Valley Regional District where it adjoins the Capital Regional District watershed and the Sooke Hills Wilderness Park. From the air it appears quite distinct from the immediately surrounding topography, which has been essentially denuded of tree cover. It is within a very dry maritime variant of the coastal western hemlock biogeoclimatic zone and as such the forests are comprised largely of Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock and shore pine. The topography is undulated which accounts for the myriad of streams and wetlands which flow into Elkington Pond, Devereaux Lake and Stebbings Lake. These three water bodies and their tributaries comprise the upper watershed for Shawnigan Creek and Shawnigan Lake. The plant and animal communities on the property are very diverse comprised of over 70 different community types (including 11 red- and blue-listed species) with their associated habitats and ecosystems.Elkington Legacy
The Elkington family embraced a simple stewardship philosophy namely that “if you leave the land alone to heal itself it will recover over time.” This conservation philosophy, originating in 1945, was the cornerstone of most of the decisions made concerning the land during Eric Elkington’s lifetime. The natural beauty of Stebbings and Devereaux Lakes and Elkington Pond and the natural restoration of the habitats and ecosystems on the property attest to the wisdom of this stewardship philosophy.With the death of Eric Elkington the family was forced to begin timber harvesting to cover the financial costs of owning the property. After an initial experience with commercial harvesting, the family decided that ecoforestry was a management strategy more in keeping with the Elkington legacy and with their current family values. Since 1998, a small-scale ecoforestry operation has provided the necessary financial support for the Elkington lands.
In 2007 a review of the long term management plan indicated that the rate of harvest on the land would need to decrease in order to protect the high conservation value areas and to allow what is essentially an “early mature” second growth forest to grow to its full potential. This decision necessitated a new plan to generate income for the estate which would rely less heavily on harvesting trees. The property manager determined that a small scale, ‘light on the land’ development would meet this need and proceeded to find a credible developer which shared the family’s conservation values to enter into a joint venture agreement with the family. The search for a developer led to contact with the Trust for Sustainable Forestry and Living Forest Planning Consultants.