Gwaii has been an issue of concern for foresters and other scientists for a number of years. Redcedar is also a keystone species for the Haida, and central to their culture.
Various factors affect the successful regeneration of redcedar and yellow-cypress.
Professional foresters and forest science researchers have been aware for some time of the problem that deer pose for cedar and cypress regeneration, and for other plant communities here, but this knowledge has not been generally appreciated by a very large audience. Forest managers want to ensure that redcedar and cypress continue to be significant trees in Island forests. Both are valuable commercial timber trees. Both are well adapted to the ecosystems of the Islands, and redcedar has a particularly wide ecological amplitude, or ability to grow well under a variety of different moisture and nutrient regimes. This makes it a species of special interest and importance for foresters who plant trees expected to grow for a century or more, when confronted by the vagaries of the climate change predicted over the coming decades.