Houston Offered Community Forest
Opportunity
The
Province has offered the District of Houston a five-year
probationary community forest agreement, Dennis MacKAY, MLA for Bulkley
Valley-Stikine, announced today on behalf of Forests and Range Minister
Rich Coleman.
“These
agreements are becoming increasingly popular as a method for
communities to create local forestry jobs and play a larger role in the
management and stewardship of forest resources,” said MacKAY. “The
forestry
expertise and services that the District of Houston has arranged
through a
partnership with a major licensee speak to the commitment the District
has to
ensure the community forest’s success.”
The
agreement grants the right to an annual harvest of 20,000 cubic
metres of timber on about 14,000 hectares of public forest lands in the
Morice
timber supply area. The Houston division of Canadian Forest Products
Ltd. will
provide harvesting and professional forest management services on a
contract
basis to the District.
“The
agreement will offer Houston residents long-term economic and
lifestyle benefits,” said Houston Mayor Sharon Smith. “It will create
employment in the forestry sector, as well as provide education and
business
opportunities in the future. In Houston, we are excited about the
opportunity
to run a community business where one of the end goals is to distribute
profits
to help non-profit organizations and finance much-needed infrastructure
and
projects.”
Probationary
community forest agreements are a form of legal tenure that
enable communities to more fully participate in the stewardship of
local Crown
forest resources. They are area-based, and give communities exclusive
rights to
harvest timber, as well as the opportunity to manage forest resources
such as
timber and botanical forest products, recreation, wildlife, water and
scenic
viewscapes.
Community forests are intended to stimulate long-term employment, forest-related education and skills training, as well as other social, environmental and economic benefits, while meeting environmental stewardship standards. After an initial term of five years, the agreements may be extended for an additional term of up to five years or replaced with a long-term agreement of not less than 25 years.
