Moderator: Shane Berg, RPF, Chief Forester - Assistant Deputy Minister, BC Ministry of Forests, Government of British Columbia

At the Forest Professionals British Columbia conference in 2021, forest landscape plans (FLP) were introduced as an exciting opportunity to transform how we manage BC’s forests. Since that time, a significant amount of collaborative planning has been underway across British Columbia. This session will follow the progress and learnings of three uniquely different planning tables that all have a common purpose of advancing reconciliation and transforming the future of forest management through collaborative planning.

This session provides the opportunity to engage directly with panel members from three planning tables including an Indigenous-led Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) for a First Nations’ territory, an FLP for a tree farm licence (TFL), and an FLP for a one million hectare timber supply area.

• Hišuk ma c̕awak Integrated Resource Management Plan

Marina Rayner, RFT, Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Bryce Bancroft, RPBio(Ret), Symmetree Consulting Group Ltd. will discuss this collaborative plan for forest and environmental management, which is being led by Huu-ay-aht First Nations in partnership with Huu-ay-ay-aht Forestry Limited Partnership, C̓awak ʔqin Forestry, and Mosaic Forest Management and covers the entire Huu-ay-aht ḥahuułi located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The plan represents the present and future needs of the ecosystem and the Nation and its namesake sacred principle, Hišuk ma c̕awak, and acknowledges the many interconnected aspects considered and incorporated into the plan within an adaptive management framework.

• Tree Farm Licence 37 Forest Landscape Plan

Mike Green, BSc, RFT, Technical Team Lead, ‘Namgis First Nation and Stuart Glen, RPF, Technical Team Lead, Western Forest Products will discuss this collaborative plan  by ‘Namgis First Nation and Western Forest Products (WFP) for the portion of TFL 37 within ‘Namgis territory. This plan is an excellent example of proactively embracing the new paradigm and opportunity that comes with the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Over time, it had become increasingly clear to ‘Namgis and WFP that there needs to be a better approach than engaging on a block-by-block basis late in the planning process. This insight could result in the development of the first integrated FLP and forest operations plan (FOP) in British Columbia that connects the stewardship of all values with the resulting pattern of blocks and roads well ahead of field layout within an adaptive management framework.

• Lakes Resiliency Project

Tara Dunphy, MSc, PMP, Ministry of Forests and Jeff Mycock, RPF, Chief Forester, West Fraser will discuss the Lakes Resiliency Project, which is being implemented jointly between the Government of BC and multiple First Nations, along with the ongoing collaboration and engagement of resource tenure holders, consultants, and specialists. The planning area is in north-central BC and was developed in response to the catastrophic wildfire season of 2018. The project scope includes reviewing and amending the biodiversity land use objectives legalized within the Lakes Sustainable Resource Management Plans, as well as producing an FLP. Despite the complexity of the process, good progress is being made with the fundamental elements of landscape ecology being incorporated in the design of a long-term landscape level plan within an adaptive management framework.

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Following the presentation, attendees will have learned the following:

1. Relationships are based on trust, transparency, and mutual respect — all important aspects of reconciliation — and provide the foundation for meaningfully working together.
2. Undertaking local planning with a focus on whole land management —the integrated stewardship of values built from the bottom-up — can work in practice.
3. The collaborative development of thoughtful and connected future forest outcomes provides the basis for a transformative future.
4. We are learning together, and the insights discussed in this session can help each of us take a step forward and proactively explore opportunities to commence local collaborative planning.