First Nations agree to two year deferral of 2,500 hectares of old growth forest

An agreement between the Na̲nwaḵolas Council and Western Forest Products will see the deferral of about 2,500 hectares of old growth forest for two years.

The Nanwakolas Council is comprised of five member First Nations whose traditional territories are located in the Northern Vancouver Island and adjacent South Central Coast areas of British Columbia.

According to the BC Government, the Tlowitsis, K’ómoks, Wei Wai Kum and We Wai Kai First Nation are strengthening relationships with Western through a joint planning and reconciliation agreement.

This deferral will reportedly prioritize some of the rarest and oldest forests in BC.

“We have done a lot of work to put us in a position to actively engage Western and others around our important cultural and ecological values while balancing the socioeconomic needs of our communities and the surrounding region,” said Dallas Smith, Na̲nwaḵolas Council president.

The Na̲nwaḵolas agreement covers 100% of the ancient and remnant trees in 1,068 hectares identified by the Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) within Tree Farm Licence 39-2 on central Vancouver Island.

Another 1,506 hectares of priority large, remnant and ancient forests have been deferred through other bi-lateral initiatives between Na̲nwaḵolas and Western, including a Large Cultural Cedar Protocol, TFL ecosystem mapping and an addition to the H’kusam area, originally deferred in the fall of 2020.

“As recommended by the Old Growth Strategic Review, deferrals are a temporary measure to prevent irreversible biodiversity loss while First Nations, the Province, tenure holders and other partners work to employ sustainable forest management in a manner that prioritizes ecosystem health and community resiliency throughout BC,” said the Province.

Last month, the Province announced it was making nearly $19 million in new funding available for the remainder of 2021-22 to provide enhanced supports for workers and communities impacted by deferrals.

The Province is also developing additional programs that will support forestry workers and communities during the next three years, and will be announcing these soon.