NEW COMMUNITY FOREST PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS SMITHERS AREA

SMITHERS – Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Dennis MacKay and minister of state for forestry operations Roger Harris announced today a community forest opportunity for a group of proponents including aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities, and local industry, providing new economic opportunities and local control of forest resources.

“Government has created an opportunity that will bring together municipalities, local forestry operations and the Office of the Wet’suwet’en in a partnership that will provide training and employment, revenue for the community and timber to support local businesses,” said MacKay.

“Through the Forestry Revitalization Plan and the small tenures expansion program, we are putting more timber into the hands of communities and First Nations,” said Harris. “This government is responding to communities across the province that have asked for more involvement in the management of their local resources.”

The Bulkley Valley Community Forest Group is invited to apply for a probationary community forest agreement, providing up to 30,000 cubic metres of timber annually in the Bulkley timber supply area. The proponents include representatives from the Town of Smithers, Village of Telkwa, Office of the Wet’suwet’en, NEWPRO particle board plant and West Fraser’s Pacific Inland Resources.

“I really appreciate the support for the community forest shown by Minister de Jong, our local MLA Dennis MacKay and Ministry of Forests staff,” said Bulkley Valley Community Forest Group facilitator Dean Daly of Lynx Forest Management. “Although there are challenges, I am optimistic that the tenure can be a catalyst for strengthening relationships between the Wet’suwet’en, Northern Engineered Wood Products, West Fraser, the Village of Telkwa and the Town of Smithers.”

“From the era of the broadaxe for production of railway ties to small sawmills and now complex high production mills in the Bulkley Valley, our sustainable resource is the forest industry,” said Town of Smithers Mayor James Davidson.

“The Village of Telkwa is supportive of this project and is hopeful it will address some of the opportunities for local investment,” said Village of Telkwa Mayor Sharon Hartwell. “This is a great first step.”

“We view the Smithers community forest project as an opportunity for strengthening our Native and non-native communities by building strong relationships, supporting small business operators, participating in the planning and management of our local resources, and by reinvesting the profits into local infrastructure and community projects,” said Andrew George Jr., Chief Sket’en, on behalf of Chief Woos, Office of the Wet’suwet’en.

“NEWPRO is proud to be a part of the community forest group and looks forward to participating in the economic advancement of the Bulkley Valley,” said NEWPRO general manager Richard Norton.

“The community forest project is a good idea, and a good opportunity for the town and the greater community to get involved in forestry,” said Pacific Inland Resources general manager Dave Walgren. “Although we have crossed the first hurdle, there is a lot more work to be done and we can now start that process.”

Community forest agreements are a mechanism by which the province transfers decision-making to communities that wish to more fully participate in the stewardship of their local forest resources. Community forest tenures are area-based, giving the agreement-holders exclusive stewardship of an area of forest land over the term of the agreement. The probationary agreements are initially for five years, at which time they may be extended for another five years or replaced with a long-term agreement of 25 to 99 years. Since August 2004, government has provided community forest opportunities for 26 communities across the Province.

For more information on this community forest agreement opportunity and other ministry programs, visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/for/ .

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Don McDonald Communications Director Ministry of Forests 250 387-8486

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