Many thanks to Tom Whitfield of the Brown Property Preservation Society for his invitation for the community and visitors to visit the Heritage Forest in Qualicum Beach (Come on in; Heritage Forest trails are fine, Letters, Thursday, Jan. 4).
No doubt, the foresight of the Brown Property Preservation Society, the Land Conservancy and the town of Qualicum Beach has resulted in such a special space within the town.
It was Robert Louis Stevenson who once said, “it is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”
In one sense, The Heritage Forest is part of the lungs of Qualicum Beach.
The Qualicum Beach Museum often directs visitors looking for examples of first-growth trees to the Heritage Forest. The trails are very accessible by walking, by scooters or by families using baby carriages.
Chris Lemphers
President, QBHMS