The Salmon Forest Project
A documentary film by Bill Heath
The Salmon Forest Project
A documentary film by Bill Heath
Indigenous leaders and researchers collaborate to show how traditional knowledge and western science can work to restore the connections that sustain salmon and thousands of other species living in their delicate forest environments.
Directed by acclaimed British Columbia filmmaker Bill Heath, The Salmon Forest Project documentary delves into the intricate relationship between Pacific salmon, forests, and the Heiltsuk people in the coastal rainforests of British Columbia. It features insights from UBC Faculty of Forestry experts Dr. Teresa Ryan (Sm’hayetsk; Tsm’syen) and internationally celebrated author Dr. Suzanne Simard.
Watch an Excerpt
About the Film
The Salmon Forest Project paints a haunting portrait of a threatened ecosystem and those who care deeply for it.
In the vast rainforest homelands of the Heiltsuk (located in the Great Bear Rainforest), extractive industries have exploited the land, breaking the fragile links that connect thousands of species within their complex adaptive systems of interactions. Now the salmon are in peril.
Brought together with common purpose, a disparate group of people, from Indigenous leaders and elders, university researchers, and the filmmaker, explore the intersecting complementarities between traditional knowledge and western science. These extraordinary people are united by their connections to the forest and advocacy for protecting the integrity of ecosystem functions to support healthy forests and recovering salmon populations.