The application for a community forest tenure by the District of Sechelt has been approved and staff have submitted a forest management plan as their next step to securing a licence.
"The minister signed off on the plan three weeks ago," Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid said in an interview Tuesday afternoon with Coast Reporter.
The forest management plan details the principles of how the district plans to manage the forest. It is now sitting on the minister's desk awaiting final approval.
"We expect that to be done this week or next week," Reid said.
The district has been seeking a community forest licence since June 2003 when they first started discussions and negotiations with the Minister of State for Forestry.
The district was then invited to apply for a licence by the minister on Sept. 20, 2004.
The community forest area offered includes a total of 11,807 hectares in Wilson Creek and West Sechelt with an annual allowable cut of 20,000 cubic metres per year.
It has been a contentious issue in the community due to the community forest's inclusion of the Chapman Creek and Grey Creek watersheds, a perceived lack of detailed information on the plan and what some feel is insufficient community consultation.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District and the Town of Gibsons refused to partner in the process with the District of Sechelt because of these issues.
Up until last week, the Sechelt Indian Band seemed to be the only government body willing to partner with the District of Sechelt, but on March 13, the Band formally announced they would not participate as a partner in the community forest venture.
"Please be advised the council supports your application and program; however, the Band has chosen not to participate as a partner. Council is very supportive of the entire community forest program except they are not in support of any logging in the Chapman Creek watershed," a letter from the Sechelt Indian Government District stated.
Reid says the district does not plan to log in the watershed for over 100 years, but he has been criticized by local environmental groups that note the plans protect the watershed for only five years.
"That's the limit of the probationary licence, five years," noted director of planning Ray Parfitt.
"The reasons to not say 'no logging in the watershed' is because there may be an issue such as a pine beetle infestation that may have to be taken care of. But by zoning the watershed for mature growth we're saying we're not going to go in there with a commercial operation in our lifetime," Reid said.
Once the district gets approval for a community forest licence, Reid says they will consult with the public to produce a Forest Stewardship Plan, which would identify areas for harvest and preservation. The district will also have to set up the governance structure and board of directors for the enterprise and create a community advisory group.
"We hope that group will include people with varied interests from the entire Sunshine Coast," Reid said.
He knows many are skeptical of the district's plans for a community forest but hopes the ongoing community consultation after the licence is granted will put some at ease.
"If we compare our experience to other areas like Creston, it took Creston three years for people to come on board and support them whole-heartedly," Reid said. "Their experience was that people didn't believe what they said but believed what they saw. So what we have to do is not only tell people, but also show people and make it a very transparent process.
"We have to earn credibility and trust."
So far the District of Sechelt has spent $180,000 on the community forest application process.
