A community advisory group has been started to help guide forest practices within Sechelt's new community forest and make sure the public's voice is heard in the process.
"We need your help to get input from the public so we can be successful," said Len Pakulak, chair of Sechelt Community Projects Inc., the company set up to hold the licence for the forest.
Pakulak was present at the community advisory group's last meeting June 27 where members talked about ways to engage the public and make sure all forest values are taken into account in the planning of how to manage the 11,807-hectare forest.
One suggestion was to get better representation on the advisory board.
Members noted there is no one currently involved in the advisory group from the mountain biker's association for example, and some questioned the need for more environmentally focused people to get on board.
There are people involved who have an environmental background, but some noted the advisory group is heavily weighted with business interests.
Another idea to reach out to the public and gain their input on the forest is a community forest website the group is currently trying to get started.
That website could include online polls and interactive message boards as well as up-to-date thorough information about the community forest.
"We just need to decide what we want it to look like and find someone to create it," lead forest manager Brian Smart said.
Advisory group members are also planning a public meeting for sometime in September. Pakulak noted the board is interested in perhaps having two people from the community elected to the board to help guide its practices.
"We're not sure if that would be by selection or election to have two people join our board. We'll need your help deciding what is the best course of action there," Pakulak said.
The role of the advisory group is to provide input and make recommendations to the corporation about the community's views and preferences regarding forest management practices, forest resource values and the operations of the Sechelt com-munity forest in general.
They are also mandated to provide a public forum for dialogue in relation to forestry issues between the corporation and the community and to facilitate public input, review and comment on the operational plans for the community forest tenure.
Pakulak assured members of the group their voice will be heard by the corporation, which ultimately makes decisions about what will happen within the community forest.
Within the community advisory group's terms of reference, it states the corporation will "respond in writing to the community advisory group for each recommendation forwarded from the group with documented reasons explaining rationale to the recommendations."
Pakulak made it no secret the corporation is under intense scrutiny from the public. They intend to have an open and honest process that takes into account all the forest values identified within the Sunshine Coast community.
However, the forest tenure is based on an Allowable Annual Cut (AAC), meaning the province expects up to 20,000 cu. m of forest to be harvested yearly.
And a current stumpage break from the province is pushing the corporation to identify an area to harvest before December to take advantage of the available tax break.
"You know it took us over three years to get this community forest license and now they're saying, 'okay get going now,'" Smart said.
While the advisory group is assessing community values and looking for more people to get involved with the process they are faced with the immediate task of finding an appropriate area to harvest in this year.
The group is made up of a wide variety of people with varied interests and not all are familiar with forest practices and harvesting styles, so the group plans to take a field trip to the community forest area next month to gather information.
They have already decided with the full support of the corporation not to log in the watershed for at least 50 years."At which point the entire question should be reassessed in light of community priorities and the scientific knowledge at that time," a report from the group stated.
The community forest area holds roughly 20 per cent of the Chapman Creek Watershed and includes some of Canadian Forest Products old chart area to the west of Sechelt Inlet and some of International Forest Products and old Small Business Forest Enterprise Program chart areas to the east. Once some harvesting constrains were applied to the area an allowable cut was set for the probationary period of 20,000 m3/year, representing roughly 30 hectares of timber per year.
The current community forest license is valid for five years, which is a probationary period.
"The objective of the five year probationary period is to show the Ministry of Forests that the community can get operating effectively and to learn as much as possible about the area in order to produce and long-term management plan with a recommended AAC for converting the tenure to a long term, maybe up to 100 years, forest tenure," a report from Smart stated.
Currently there is a focus for management on quality premium grades and species of wood to support value added business opportunities on the Coast but the full objectives and values will have to be clarified through the community group.
If you would like to get involved with the group, want to make sure your values are taken into account, or would like more information you can contact the newly set up community forest office above South Coast Ford at 604-885-7809.
