What would forestry look like if Indigenous cultural values were the driving force behind management decisions, instead of western values? How would it be different? What would it mean to put timber as a secondary priority to ecosystem health? What if the primary intention of harvesting was to accomplish some ecosystem goal? What happens to the ecosystem? The community? The money? Let’s find out.
Resources
Westbank First Nation: https://www.wfn.ca/
Sponsors
West Fraser: https://www.westfraser.com/
GreenLink Forestry Inc.: http://greenlinkforestry.com/
Damaged Timber: https://www.damagedtimber.com/
Giveaway
Enter YourForest10 at checkout at the Damaged Timber store for a 10% discount!
Quotes
11.22 - 11.34: “I really want to be that voice for the trees, the voice for the land itself, the voice for the water, and all the things that haven’t had a voice up until this point or a limited voice at the very least.”
24.19 - 24.25: “The forestry industry as a whole is a very tight-knit community - everybody seems to know everybody.”
27.30 - 27.47: “How do we find that balance of getting people on the land and doing the work that they want to do, that they are passionate about doing and that they love doing, with making sure that they are doing it in a way that’s respectful to all the living creatures in the area, all the other trees that serve as homes for those folks.”
Takeaways
Dave’s forestry journey (4.24)
Dave was attracted to forestry in high school because he wanted an outdoor job. He was also told by his guidance counsellor that forestry was one of the careers he should pursue. His first forestry job was in BC and has recently gotten the opportunity to work with the forward-thinking Westbank First Nation on their community forest. This has changed how he thinks of forestry and land and finds it empowering to contribute to making a difference to the community.
Jordan’s forestry journey (09.24)
Jordan has always been a member of the Westbank First Nation and has been elected to the council since 2019. He has been interested in forestry practices since childhood. Spending time on his land has taught him “the value of the natural resources that surround us, the value of the interconnectedness of the resources”. He works with the community forest using a stewardship value approach backed by Indigenous teachings from his Elders.
“The work on the land is healing for our people” (16.27)
Jordan says that working in the community forest and interacting with the land is a way for Indigenous people to re-establish the connection to the land that colonization took from them. He considers his stewardship responsibilities to include investing in strengthening the community’s interest in the land, bringing Elders back onto the land and providing community involvement opportunities for people to fall “in love with the land again”.
Decision-making based on what the land wants, not what regulations want (18.12)
Dave advocates not looking at the land and forest as the commodities they are viewed as now. He acknowledges that every member of the ecosystem is interconnected. He regularly seeks feedback on forestry initiatives from diverse members of the community since the land is so diverse. He appreciates being able to have his plans inspired by being on the land and doing what is most appropriate for the land.
Active healing comes with honest discussions (23.54)
Jordan sees the opportunity for community forest members to work with the industry as a form of reconciliation and relationship building, where everyone ensures “there’s going to be food on the table for generations to come”. By emulating traditional governance structures that acknowledge everyone’s interconnected responsibilities, Indigenous engagement can become a pathway to sustainable development.
Upholding and incorporating Indigenous values (27.48)
Jordan feels that community forestry opens up the opportunity for young Indigenous people to contribute to the industry with their indigeneity. By helping foresters protect the lands by sharing about Indigenous land values and laws, First Nations members can affect political change through corporate change. The partnerships and collaborations between Indigenous communities and industry will ensure that the right decisions are being made for the land.
“The worst plan you can have is the plan you can finish” (35.04)
Dave believes that planning must be done at the landscape level, and water is an important consideration. With water as the highest value factored into planning, many other values are automatically cared for. The land plans evolve constantly as more knowledge is added by community members about different portions of the community forest, and to reflect an understanding of changing community values.
Connection and responsibility (41.37)
Jordan adds that water is the basic form of life, and a resource we are all responsible to maintain. Stewardship also springs from our responsibility to recognize Indigenous land rights as well as the implications one decision has on another aspect of the land. Forestry practices have always been part of the Indigenous way of life, and localized approaches can help revitalize the ecosystem back to its natural state.
“Everything that we learnt about fire is changing and evolving” (48.00)
Dave shares that they are working with the community and the BC Wildfire Service to bring cultural burning back on the land for ecosystem management. He talks about basing all their forest management principles on the 7 generation planning framework, which will impact the land for 7 generations to come. He acknowledges that mistakes will be made but with correct communication and lessons learned, the way forward can be paved.
“As foresters, we tend to compartmentalize things” (1.03.16)
Dave has been learning from the community that all parts of the forest are interconnected and thinks it is the leap that all foresters need to take from understanding to action. He explains the structure of the Westbank First Nation community forest management, licensing agreements and economic model. However, he maintains that “ensuring the land is cared for” in the best interest of the community is more important than profits.
Knowledge beyond the books (1.17.04)
Dave states that it is important to keep an open mind to ideas different from the western science foresters learn at school. Indigenous and non-Indigenous local knowledge is needed when working with any land, which can only be gained by conversing with people who have an intimate connection with the land. He believes earning the trust of the locals to share their knowledge is the hard part of a forester’s job.
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