A Chilliwack teenager is one of three B.C. youths to win prizes in the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals' essay contest launched during National Forest Week this fall.

Valerie Flokstra, a 16-year-old Chilliwack resident who attends school in Langley, captured runner-up honours and a $150 prize for "I am a Tree," an essay about a tree that comes to terms with its demise at the hands of loggers.

Although the tree eventually recognizes the contribution it can make by being sliced into lumber for B.C. homes, however, it doesn't go down without a fight.

"I am afraid for myself, but not as much as I am sad for others," it says as the chainsaws close in. "All the birds that slaved away to make nests in my branches will be homeless in a few moments. Same with all the raccoons and bugs and squirrels that live in cozy holes in my trunk ... I also pity the very humans that are about to cut me down. Without forests full of trees where will people go if they want to see something naturally beautiful?"

Flokstra's creation beat out entries from around the province by youth aged 13 to 18 who were asked to write about what the forest means to them, their communities and the province of B.C.

?Read her complete essay at www.abcfp.ca.

cnaylor@chilliwacktimes.com