The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era

A third-generation British Columbia logger returns to the forests of Haida Gwaii, to witness a way of life in the grip of change.

By the time Aaron Williams began learning how to fall a tree, his family had been making clear cuts on BC hillsides for nearly a century. During his father’s generation, the industry started to crumble, and by the time Williams arrived, he knew his future lay elsewhere.

But his father continued in the trade, his work taking him into the forests of Haida Gwaii. There, Williams follows him into a season at Collison Point, where the loggers are increasingly unwelcome visitors to the ancient forests.

The Last Logging Show captures the spectacular setting of Haida Gwaii and the people who call it home. It unravels the lives and dreams of those who log the forests for a living, who have toiled alongside their Haida co-workers for generations—but while old approaches to forestry come to an end, new ways come into being. Thoughtful and compelling, this is a story of connection, community, and the force of fundamental change.