First Nations in British Columbia will have access to a new, long-term woodland licence, a long-time call from First Nations, including in north-central B.C.
B.C. Forests Minister Steve Thomson made the announcement today on national aboriginal day, but few details were available.
The new form of tenure was first announced by the B.C. Liberal government more than a year ago, when it introduced enabling legislation. Since then, the forests ministry has been working on the regulations that put the new tenure into effect. The new tenures makes good on a recommendation from the Liberal's roundtable on forestry delivered more than two years ago.
"This is something First Nations have been specifically asking for," said Thomson in a prepared statement.
"We've been working closely with them to develop a licence that meets their specific needs and supports their participation in the forest sector," said Thomson.
The tenures, starting at a duration of 25 years, would give exclusive right to First Nations to harvest timber on Crown land.
First Nations would also have the right to cut timber, manage and charge fees for botanical forest products.
Only First Nations that sign a forest tenure opportunity agreement with the province are eligible for the licence. It's not clear what a forest tenure opportunity agreement is, or what it entails.
Neither Thomson nor B.C. forests ministry officials were available to explain the new woodland licence program for First Nations.
The B.C. First Nations Forestry Council said the tenures are a move in the right direction, but cautioned that a big challenge will be finding enough timber volume to create the licences. "It's going to be hard to deliver the new licences," said Keith Atkinson, the First nation forestry council's CEO.
Much of the province's timber harvesting volumes are already allocated in long-term tenures to major forest companies and a Crown timber agency that puts timber up for public bid. Tenure is also taken up by community forests, woodlots and short-term licences, including for First Nations.
