The lower Skeena River floodplain between Terrace and Prince Rupert was formerly occupied by towering stands of Sitka spruce.

These stands regenerated poorly after 20th Century logging and today, Sitka spruce floodplain forests are listed as endangered ecosystems in BC. In 1987, the BC Forest Service established the Salvus experiment at the mouth of the Kasiks River to find ways of converting young red alder-cottonwood stands back to Sitka spruce. Although the experiment was judged a failure, it has much to teach us about the resilience and restoration potential of these exceptionally complex forest ecosystems.

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