Garry Merkel (nadi’ denezā) is Tahltan from northwest British Columbia — what is now known as the Stikine River area. He is a great-grandfather and is a professional forester with more than 50 years of experience working in most areas of the forest/lands sector. He is the Director of the Center of Indigenous Land Stewardship currently housed in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC and has a long public policy history in BC and beyond — the most recent was co-chairing with Al Gorley the cabinet-appointed Old Growth Review Panel that produced “A New Future for Old Forests, A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages its Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems (2021).” Government adopted the 14 recommendations in this review and Garry continues as an independent mentor, coach, facilitator and advisor to support the government in its leadership role, the forest sector and ultimately the overall provincial land sector through this transition. He now co-chairs with Shannon Janzen, RPF, the Provincial Forest Advisory Council, which will develop independent recommendations for a new, stable system that supports resilient communities, economies, and ecosystems across British Columbia.