NANAIMO - The BC Government has announced plans to protect Vancouver Island forests from chainsaws.

Forests Minister Pat Bell says stands of old-growth trees and large swaths of Coastal Douglas Fir will now be conserved under a new management plan.

The 39,000 hectares of newly protected old-growth forest is mainly on the North Island, while nearly 1,600 hectares of coastal Douglas Fir is in patches between Nanaimo and Courtenay.

The province has tagged the Coastal Douglas Fir eco-system as a high-priority for preservation.