For over 20 years, the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) has championed the community forest program, highlighting its ability to foster social, economic, ecological, and cultural resilience.
As British Columbia was preparing for the 2024 provincial election, political parties included specific support for expanding the community forest program in their platforms.
Community forests are long-term, area-based tenures managed by local communities to reflect local priorities and values.
With 61 community forests currently operating across the province, and growing interest in local resource management, the program is gaining broad recognition and support.
In a September 2024 news release, the mayors of Houston and Mackenzie along with councillors and regional district chairs, are calling on the government of B.C. to commence a structured tenure redistribution. The redistribution would be in accordance with the provincial report: Modernizing Forestry Policy in BC, in order to ensure municipalities and First Nations are empowered to manage their timber supply.
Some of the changes would include expediting the expansion of community forests in B.C. and work with municipalities and First Nations to implement fire safe strategies that mitigate wildfires through regionally approved fire management practices.
According to the December BCCFA Newsletter, the city of Quesnel along with five First Nations, have come to an agreement on the establishment of the Three Rivers Community Forest (TRCF).
After five years of hard work the Lhtako Dene, Nazko, ʔEsdilagh, and Lhoosk’uz First Nations, along with the City of Quesnel, will have the TRCF operational in 2025.
“Community forests are an opportunity for local involvement, investment and community benefit from the forest industry. Through agreements like these, communities can partner with First Nations to develop land management approaches that focus on shared values of sustainability and resiliency,”
Farther south, the BCCFA provided Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) with funding through the province’s Economic Recovery Initiative under the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program.
Initiated in 2021, this funding helped NACFOR to develop a comprehensive treatment plan and prescription for Unit 5 (Wensley Creek Recreation Area), located east of Nakusp.
This area has important residential, recreational, infrastructure, industry, and riparian values, making it a high priority for wildfire risk reduction. The program was substantially complete in November 2024.
There were 14 other community forests across the province supported by this initiative, which completed 45 wildfire risk reduction projects in rural BC communities.
The BC Wildfire Service worked with the BCCFA on the projects from 2021-23 and the projects helped to create local jobs and built capacity for wildfire risk reduction work. The projects included wildfire treatments, provided work prescriptions for further treatments, provided data on inventory, and completed prescribed and cultural burns.
BCCFA and the Ministry of Forests said in their release they have deepened their partnership to support the efforts of community forests in long-term wildfire resiliency activities and expansion of cultural and prescribed fire and announced $300,000 in additional funding for wildfire mitigation and climate change adaptation.
“The initiative is designed to identify ways to increase our communities’ and forests’ resiliency to wildfire, capacity to adapt to climate change, and provide opportunities for training and capacity building in intentional use of fire on the land,” stated the release.
