A draft co-management framework and plan to manage North Cowichan’s 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve likely won’t be presented until sometime in 2026.
The municipality and the Quw’utsun Nation (which consists of Cowichan Tribes, Halalt First Nation, Lyackson First Nation, Penelakut Tribe, and Stz’uminus First Nation) agreed in April, 2024, that they would work together to establish a co-management framework and plan for the forest reserve, and that work is still ongoing.
North Cowichan’s communications director Barb Floden said the municipality and the Quw’utsun Nation issued a joint request for proposals to support the development of the co-management plan in February, which will be closing soon, and it is expected that the draft framework and plan will be ready next year.
“The public will be kept informed of the process through joint statements and updates at council meetings,” Floden said. “A final report on a co-management framework will be brought to respective councils for direction, including consideration for future public engagement.”
North Cowichan decided when the agreement for the municipality to work with the First Nations to develop a co-management plan was made last year that while that work moved forward, it would suspend all new decisions or initiatives related to the forest reserve, while ongoing forest related work such as FireSmart mitigation, danger tree assessments and removals, storm clean up, silviculture activities, and invasive plant management would continue as required.
In February, 2019, North Cowichan council endorsed just the completion of existing 2018 forestry contracts and harvesting of blow downs in the forest reserve until experts were tapped for their input and the public had been thoroughly consulted on what people want for the future of the public properties.
No harvesting in the forest reserve has taken place since then, much to the chagrin of some current North Cowichan councillors and members of the public who are concerned about the lost revenues.
The public engagement aspect of the forest review concluded in early 2023, and the feedback from that process found very strong support for active conservation in the forests, which was one of four forest-management scenarios presented for consideration.
The active conservation scenario would allow for targeted harvesting in the forest reserve, with a goal of restoring and enhancing ecosystem conditions that promote biodiversity, while providing some income from harvesting.
Passive conservation, which is to let the forests within the reserve develop with minimal human intervention, ranked a close second, with status quo (continued harvesting) ranking lowest.
The selling of carbon credits was part of those two scenarios to continue to earn revenue from the forests.
