The Lil’wat Nation and the Village of Pemberton are planting the seeds of a community forest partnership.
The two partner communities in the Speĺkúmtn Community Forest will have an allowable annual cut of 11,000 cubic metres.
A community forest agreement (CFA) is an area-based forest tenure managed by a local government, community group, First Nation, or combination of local governments, First Nations and community groups, for the benefit of the entire community.
To date, 59 CFAs have been issued in B.C.
The name of the Speĺkúmtn (pronounced spill koom tim) Community Forest comes from the Lil’wat name of a small hill near One Mile Lake (Signal Hill) that translates to “nuts stashed away by squirrel.”
The agreement between the Province, Lil’wat Nation and Village of Pemberton will last 25 years and can be extended.
The new community forest agreement will support opportunities in recreation, wildlife and watershed management on 17,727 hectares of Crown land, said BC Government.
“Managing the forested lands around our surrounding communities for joint benefit is something that I am truly looking forward to,” said Ku̓kwpi7 Skalúlmecw, Lil’wat Nation Political Chief Dean Nelson.
Managing the forest according to local values and priorities means the recreation area near One Mile Lake Park will continue to be maintained for community recreation purposes.
“This partnership will benefit the communities of Pemberton, Lil’wat Nation and the whole Pemberton Valley,” said Mike Richman, mayor of Pemberton.
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