The valley was once described by a hardy travel writer as “six Yosemites end to end.” But there was something special about the Kitlope—beyond commercial worth and even sheer beauty. It encompassed the world's largest intact coastal temperate rainforest.

In the late 1980s the Haisla people, whose ancestors have called the valley home for countless generations, along with environmentalists and the BC government began a campaign to protect the Kitlope in its untouched form.

But there was a problem. West Fraser Timber controlled the rights to harvest—and while, normally, these situations involve a complex series of tradeoffs, the government had nothing to offer in trade. Still, West Fraser delayed its harvest. No roads were built, no cutting undertaken. Instead the company sent in its own environmental team, which reported back that the Kitlope was indeed unique upon this earth.

Although the company was legally entitled to harvest, West Fraser realized that the exceptional nature of the Kitlope Valley must preclude all other concerns, and returned the rights for this prime land.

"We had an opportunity to do something special for our province and the world,” said Hank Ketcham, CEO of West Fraser. “We had an opportunity to relinquish harvesting rights in a special area and leave something to future generations—and, in so doing, to make a gesture we could be very, very proud of."

The Kitlope is now a provincial park encompassing over 321,000 hectares of uninterrupted coastal rainforest.