community forests Archives

Getting the most out of B.C.’s challenged wood fibre base

It was in early-2023 when British Columbia Premier David Eby announced the Forest Enterprise Society of B.C. (FESBC) was to receive an additional $50 million in funding for forest enhancement projects in the province. The focus of the funding was to be on creating a higher level of wood utilization for wood fibre and wildfire…

Facing Fire: Building Resiliency to Wildfire | VIDEO

WILL WE MANAGE FIRE OR WILL FIRE MANAGE US? The question isn’t if fire will happen, but rather when it will strike. Fire is an intrinsic part of our ecosystem’s evolution. For over a century, we’ve believed we knew the best way to tackle wildfire in North America. The mindset that “the only good wildfire…

Wildfire Risk Reduction and Enhanced Fibre Utilization Project Funding

FESBC Welcomes Applications for Wildfire Risk Reduction and Enhanced Fibre Utilization Project Funding Kamloops, B.C. – The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) continues to accept applications to fund forest enhancement projects, year-round. In the Provincial Government’s Budget 2024, FESBC was entrusted with $60 million in funding; $20 million to be allocated each year over…

Framework for Creating a Smart Growth Economic Development Strategy

A Tool for Small Cities and Towns Many small and mid-sized cities around the United States are struggling because their economies were built largely on a single economic sector that has changed significantly. For example, jobs might once have been heavily concentrated in industries like logging, mining, or manufacturing, but technology and market forces have…

Cowichan Lake Community Forest Co-op and Pacheedaht First Nation

People in the Cowichan Lake communities and Pacheedaht First Nation will benefit from a unique community forest agreement for the Qala:yit [Kwah-LIE-it] Community Forest, reached in partnership with the provincial government in September 2018. “This is the latest stride that our nation has taken towards creating our own economic destiny, including a new sawmill and…

Valemount Sawmiller Expands

Perseverance has paid off for sawmiller Jason Alexander, with his cedar operation in Valemount, BC. A new wood supply agreement allows him to expands his operation and employ more local people. For more on this topic, visit our Forestry page. The BC Community Forest Association is also an excellent source of information.

Sustainable Forestry: the Swedish Model

Are there lessons to be learned from the Swedish approach to sustainable forestry?

Deep Roots 2 — the Harrop-Procter Community Forest Story

Of the over 50 community forests in British Columbia, only one — in tiny Harrop-Procter, located on the rugged eastern shore of Kootenay Lake’s West Arm — has its own mill. With its emphasis on creating local employment and its commitment to ecosystem-based forestry, Harrop-Procter Community Forest stands as one of Canada’s most interesting —…

Deep Roots 1 — the Harrop-Procter Community Forest story

Harrop-Procter Community Forest, located on the rugged eastern shore of Kootenay Lake’s West Arm, is one of Canada’s most innovative — and intriguing — community forest operations. Harrop-Procter Community Forest’s 11,300 ha community forest tenure comprises 100-year-old mixed forests, domestic watersheds, and steep, sensitive terrain. The HPCF takes an ecosystem-based approach to management which is based…

Contractor Sustainability: A Personal Perspective

By the time you read this our family business of three generations— and ninety years—will have left the forest industry. So begins a powerful personal story, penned by Graham Lasure in Truck Logger BC (click on the cover below), the final owner of W.D. Moore Logging, a family business founded in Winter Harbour on Vancouver…