Daniel J. Pierce

Daniel J. Pierce

@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Filmmaker, journalist, story editor. Director of Trouble in the Headwaters. Co-writer/producer and host of CBC podcast Pressure Cooker. https://www.ramshackle.ca/ @thecutblock on YouTube. Co-producer of Beyond Ecological Grief podcast, coming soon.

138 followers175 following74 posts

Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Please subscribe to The Cutblock on Substack to get new videos about BC forestry delivered to your inbox as soon as they're released. And consider becoming a paid subscriber so you can empower me do this work full time. thecutblock.substack.com/p/retired-fo...

thecutblock.substack.comRetired Forest Tech REVEALS the inner workings of BC Timber SalesGreg Herringer, a Registered Forest Technologist formerly with of BC Timber Sales, retired from the province's logging arm – and now he's calling out their unsustainable practices.
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

I'm excited to share the trailer for our new podcast for @nationalobserver.com called Beyond Ecological Grief. I have been quietly toiling away on this for more than a year with the excellent journalist Amy Romer. Check out the trailer and subscribe to the pod. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

podcasts.apple.comBeyond Ecological GriefSociety & Culture Podcast · Weekly Series · Beyond Ecological Grief is a six-part podcast, hosted by Amy Romer, investigating the emotional realities of living through a planetary health crisis. Guide...
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Anthony Britneff is a retired forester with a 40-year career in the BC Forest Service. He had a front row seat to to the regulatory capture of the Ministry of Forests in the early 2000s. Watch this if you want to understand why BC forestry is in shambles. thecutblock.substack.com/p/veteran-fo...

thecutblock.substack.comVeteran Forester Raises The Alarm About The Regulatory Capture of BC's Ministry of ForestsAnthony Britneff speaks out about what he witnessed at the end of his 40-year career in the BC Forest Service – the complete regulatory capture of the BC Ministry of Forests.
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

For anyone who is skeptical about whether clearcut logging in Washington state is affecting the flood regime in the Nooksack River, here is a quick satellite timelapse of the loss of forest cover in the Nooksack watershed since 1984. This is a big part of what's driving floods and droughts.

Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

This headline is getting lost in the noise around Eby saying he wants to amend DRIPA. He wanted the press release without the obligations. But the court decided that DRIPA is enforceable law. And if the BC NDP wants to gut DRIPA, the law says they will have to consult First Nations first. Oopsie.

West Coast Environmental Law@wcelaw.bsky.social

BC passed #DRIPA in 2019, spelling out how the Province must implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This ruling quashes the Province's attempts to evade legal accountability and confirms that DRIPA must be more than an empty political promise. #IndigenousRights #bcpoli

biv.comB.C.'s Indigenous rights law is legally enforceable, rules courtIn a split ruling, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) is an 'interpretive lens' through which B.C. laws must be viewed and measured

Daniel J. Pierce reposted

Wilderness Committee
@wildernews.bsky.social

Did we hear that right? Is Forest Minister Parmar trying to gaslight us? 🤔 Every day, irreplaceable #oldgrowth and critical habitat continue to fall while the BC NDP government claims progress. If you’re tired of talk-and-log politics, now’s the moment to act.

Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Huge win for a indigenous rights in Canada. It was absurd to begin with that BC could pass a DRIPA law and then claim that it wasn't enforceable. The court decided that DRIPA is more than a press release. It's the law. Sadly Eby is now looking to amend DRIPA. share.google/neat8cB6eV5w...

share.googleB.C.'s Indigenous rights law is legally enforceable, rules courtIn a split ruling, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) is an 'interpretive lens' through which B.C. laws must be viewed and measured
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

What the closure of the Croton Mill proves is that the timber supply crisis is being driven by over-harvesting by industry, not megafires or pine beetle (from which Vancouver Island was largely spared) and not tariffs. We depleted the resource, plain and simple. www.timescolonist.com/business/cro...

timescolonist.comIndustry blames province for closure of Crofton mill, loss of 350 jobsDomtar, which owns the mill, cited the lack of available fibre and poor pricing in global pulp markets for the shutdown.
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Industry will point the finger at everyone but themselves, but the fact of the matter is, they continue to log out the last of the old-growth, a natural bounty centuries in the making, and are now left with young second-growth tree farms and areas too costly to access. www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

ctvnews.caWhy was ‘incredible’ giant cedar cut down, despite B.C.’s big-tree protection law?Joshua Wright says a yellow cedar tree he photographed last year was “incredible,” the largest he’d ever seen in a decade of hiking around Vancouver Island.
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Wow, bombshell report by @stefanlabbe.bsky.social about how the BC Ministry of Forests may be overestimating the annual harvest rates by more than double, using unscientific methods and extremely optimistic assumptions to set rates. People should lose their jobs for this. www.biv.com/news/resourc...

biv.comLeaked report claims B.C. timber harvest is vastly overestimatedAn undisclosed report obtained by BIV estimates the province is likely approving twice as much logging than can be sustainably harvested
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Logging old-growth just to be burned for energy seems like the lowest and worst possible use for these forests. They provide way more value to the ecosystem and communities standing and continuing to mitigate floods, droughts and landslides. Old forests are also more resilient to wildfire.

Tzeporah Berman@tzeporah.bsky.social

New @stand.earth report shows that zebras don’t change their stripes. Drax is STILL sourcing wood from ecological significant forests in BC, still the single biggest carbon emitter in Britain, and still receiving subsidies from the UK Gov.

theguardian.comDrax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts sayExclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Cool job alert! Story Money Impact is hiring a part-time Impact and Communications Coordinator. They do great work supporting doc filmmakers who want to have an impact with their projects. www.storymoneyimpact.com/blog/2025/11...

storymoneyimpact.comImpact and Communications Coordinator Position — Story Money ImpactReports to: Impact Director and Executive Director Location: Remote (Canada-wide) — Preferred BC candidate, GVA in particular Employment Type: Part-time, Fixed Term Contract (20 hours/week for 6 ...
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

On Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6pm, our film 'Trouble in the Headwaters' will be screening at the New Westminster Public Library with Dr. Younes Alila and myself present for a discussion about forestry and flooding. Come on out! Reserve a seat here >> www.nwpl.ca/events/clima...

nwpl.caClimate Films: Trouble in the Headwaters | New Westminster Public LibraryJoin us for our Climate Films Series! Each month we will screen a film about the climate crisis, focusing especially on existing, difference-making solutions. We will have a brief discussion after the...
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

The last stop on our Trouble in the Headwaters screening tour (for now) is Wed. Sept 17th on the Sunshine Coast at the Roberts Creek Hall. The event is being sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association. Myself and Dr. Younes Alila will be attending. www.coastreporter.net/local-news/d...

coastreporter.netDocumentary screening in Roberts Creek highlights logging and flooding risksAward-winning filmmaker explores Grand Forks disaster
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

A fantastic feature story just came out in @thetyee.ca about Dr. Younes Alila, the star of my new documentary 'Trouble in the Headwaters.' Go give it a read. Journalist Alice Kassam does a great job of laying out the story of Dr. Alila's groundbreaking science.

The Tyee@thetyee.ca

For more than a decade, professor of forest hydrology Younes Alila’s research showed how B.C.’s land management choices can amplify floods and landslides. He published in peer-reviewed journals, warned officials and spoke to anyone willing to listen. Few did.

thetyee.caFloods, Fires, Forests. For Younes Alila, It All Connects | The TyeeMeet the UBC forestry prof whose path-breaking work links disasters to how BC manages forests.

Daniel J. Pierce reposted

First Things First Okanagan
@ftfokanagan.bsky.social

In Penticton Mon, Sept 8 at 6:30PM Oasis United Church FREE by donation to the film project. Don't Miss This powerful doc and panel discussion on watershed destruction and flood risk caused by clearcutting BC forests. tinyurl.com/5969muvj

tinyurl.comIncandescence Documentary ScreeningIncandescence - on-the-ground footage with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation that transform our understanding of wildfire.
Daniel J. Pierce@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Our new film, Trouble in the Headwaters, is going on tour in BC. The film looks at the latest science linking clearcut logging and flooding. We'll also be hosting in-depth discussions about local forestry and watershed issues. Please join us in one of these communities >> linktr.ee/headwaters.f...

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Daniel J. Pierce reposted

First Things First Okanagan
@ftfokanagan.bsky.social

Save the Date Sept 8, Mon Doors open 6PM. Clearcutting and floods in BC - a recipe for disaster. Panel discussion follows w. filmmaker, UBC prof, and local ecologist Don Gayton. Don't miss this powerful doc. #forest #floods #climate

First Things First Okanagan@ftfokanagan.bsky.social

"Trouble in the Headwaters" is a powerful 25-minute documentary exploring the root causes behind the devastating floods in Grand Forks, BC. Sept 8 - 6:30-8:30 PM Oasis United Church 2964 Skaha Lake Rd Penticton *by donation Flimmaker, UBC prof, local ecologist in panel discussion. Please share.

Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Excited to be bringing Trouble in the Headwaters to communities across BC! Here's all the info for the Penticton screening on Sept. 8th.

First Things First Okanagan@ftfokanagan.bsky.social

"Trouble in the Headwaters" is a powerful 25-minute documentary exploring the root causes behind the devastating floods in Grand Forks, BC. Sept 8 - 6:30-8:30 PM Oasis United Church 2964 Skaha Lake Rd Penticton *by donation Flimmaker, UBC prof, local ecologist in panel discussion. Please share.

Daniel J. Pierce reposted

Anonymous
@youranoncentral.bsky.social

If genocide isn't your redline, then you have no redlines. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed temporarily as tens of thousands of Australians made their voices heard against Israel's genocide in Gaza. #FreePalestine #3E

Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

A new study by UBC hydrologists, including my film subject Dr. Younes Alila, should be sending shockwaves through the BC Ministry of Forests and the timber industry. The study finds clearcut logging increases extreme floods by 18x and effects persist for up to 40 years. news.ubc.ca/2025/07/clea...

news.ubc.caClear-cutting linked to 18-fold rise in extreme floods, UBC study finds - UBC NewsNew research finds long-term impacts on flood size and frequency decades after trees are removed
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

Great reporting from @stefanlabbe.bsky.social about how work done by @stand.earth, @wildernews.bsky.social and @wildsight.bsky.social has identified 5,713 hectares of forest proposed and approved for logging across the ranges of three of BC's most at-risk caribou herds. www.biv.com/news/environ...

biv.comB.C. approving thousands of hectares of logging in endangered caribou habitat, report findsSatellite monitoring identified 5,713 hectares of forest proposed and approved for logging across the ranges of three of B.C.'s most at-risk caribou herds
Daniel J. Pierce
@danieljpierce.bsky.social

I'm excited to have @thenarwhal.ca present my new documentary, 'Trouble in the Headwaters'. The film investigates the 2018 flood of Grand Forks, BC and unravels the latest science around forestry and flooding by UBC hydrologist Dr. Younes Alila. Go watch the full film on The Narwhal this weekend! 📽️🌲

The Narwhal@thenarwhal.ca

🎬 WATCH: The Narwhal is thrilled to present Trouble in the Headwaters, a new documentary by @danieljpierce.bsky.social about the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging in B.C. thenarwhal.ca/trouble-in-t...

thenarwhal.caTrouble in the Headwaters: new film links clearcuts to B.C. floods | The NarwhalWatch Trouble in the Headwaters, a short documentary about the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging and its connection to B.C. floods

Daniel J. Pierce reposted

The Narwhal
@thenarwhal.ca

What’s going on around Grand Forks, B.C.? In 2018, devastating floods displaced more than 100 families — and the threat of more floods remains. Trouble in the Headwaters is a short doc exploring the upstream impacts of industrial clearcut logging in the Kettle River watershed. Stay tuned 📽️