Description
Second issue in this exciting 8-coin series that explores the diversity and beauty of Canada’s forests! The coast forest spans the entire coast of British Columbia to Alaska. A total of 16.5 million hectares, it extends 150 km inland to the lower seaward slopes of the Coast Mountains and includes Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and BC’s multitude of coastal islands. Mountains, steep valleys, coastal lowlands, inlets and fjords mingle in never-ending combinations. Together, they shape the air as it rushes in from the sea, and in turn, the ocean wind shapes the land and everything that lives on it. The Shore Pine’s crooked trunk and twisted branches are testament to the wind’s sculpting influence. In fact, the tree’s Latin name, Pinus contorta, means “tangled pine.” Mintage 8,000. GST/HST exempt
The Design:
The reverse design by Canadian artist Margaret Best features the coast forest’s distinct intersection of ocean, mountains and forest with a detail of the Shore Pine, just one of many captivating tree species found in this unique forest. The Shore Pine’s features have been beautifully crafted in colour to highlight the deeply textured surface of the cones and the long, slender and twisted needles that cover the branch. The large cone in the foreground has partially opened to disperse seeds while two more closed seed cones (female) can be seen on the branch immediately behind it. At the tip of the branch, smaller, pollen (male) cones can be seen among the needles. In the background, two logs lie on the edge of a rocky shore. One can see across the water to the other bank where dense forest fills every available space and mountains linger in the distance.
