New Forestry Land-Use Agreement Taking Final Shape on Northern Vancouver Island

The Gwa’ni Project, a major new forestry land-use agreement between First Nations, Western Forest Products (WFP), the BC provincial government, and other groups, is taking final final shape on Northern Vancouver Island, CHEK reported (3-14-24).

The project is a partnership between the ‘Namgis First Nation and the BC government to develop recommendations about land and resource management in the Nimpkish Valley. The project has been in the works since both parties signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2021.

The Tree Farm License (TFL) 37 Forest Landscape Plan Pilot Project is one of four provincial pilot projects shaping a new framework for sustainable forest management in BC. TFL 37 stretches down the Nimpkish Valley between Port McNeill and Woss.

According to CHEK, Matt Leroy of BCs Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship said the project “signals a move away from enhanced forestry zones towards general special management zones and promises to be beneficial to the local ‘Namgis First Nation, Western Forest Products, and the public which will focus on riparian retention, water quality, [and] better outcomes for wildlife at the same time as realizing a sustainability and certainty in timber supply over time.”

BC Premier David Eby also weighed in on the project this week, saying, “We’ve been doing a lot of work with the First Nations agreement around providing that certainty around fiber for the island working with Western Forest Products making sure there’s certainly around what we’re doing going forward.”