A report by UVic's Eco-Research Chair in Environmental Law and Policy proposes a major shift from corporate to community-based forest tenures and recommends establishment of community forest tenures based on ecosystem principles to maintain the health of B.C.'s forests and the province's "Forests in Trust," was unveiled at a media conference July 29, held at UVic Downtown.
Speaking at the conference, attended by representatives from forest-dependent communities, Aboriginal groups and labour groups, the report's authors urged both sides of the war in the woods to "stop fighting and start talking."
"This report offers real solutions for reconciling conflicting interests over the use of forest resources in B.C. Its timing is critical to the province," says principal author Cheri Burda.
"Forests in Trust" sets out 48 recommendations for change including a proposal for a new Community Forest Trust Act (CFTA) to enable an environmentally-based shift in the management of local forest land to communities. The CFTA creates an opportunity for communities in B.C. to manage local forest land according to ecosystem-based objectives, and it gives communities the decision-making authority to plan for long-term socio-economic objectives.
"The Community Forest Trust Act is exactly what this planet and this province needs," says Eco-Research Chair Dr. Michael M'Gonigle. "It leads to dramatic ecologically-based changes, but it does so in a gradual fashion, and brings all members of the community together in the process.
"Our existing tenure system assigns rights to cut trees primarily to large corporations for high-volume, industrial timber production without requiring any responsibility to maintain forest ecosystem health and function. This situation has led to a decline in forestry employment, even while the volume of timber cut in B.C. and clashes over resource use have increased. What we propose maintains the eco-system that supports forestry and gives communities, and the people who live and work in them, more control and responsibility for the resource."
Under the report's recommendations, communities would propose to put local crown land in trust. Those who choose the new trust designation must develop a goals-oriented Charter of Principles for the lands, adopting management responsibilities according to ecosystem-based principles. The Ministry of Forests would provide a broad advisory and technical support capacity.
M'Gonigle said the provincial government has received a copy of the report and he intends to meet with government representatives about the report's recommendations in the future.