In early June, 100 participants gathered in Westbank on the traditional lands of the Westbank First Nation. The conference sessions put a focus on the issues where there is potential for community forests to enhance their capacity to bring additional benefits to their communities and to support community forests to be an active part of the solutions for this new decade. With an emphasis on discussion and information exchange between community forest practitioners, while light on formal presentations, the participants grappled with how to build linkages with value added manufacturers, and how to best promote the products from community forests. They learned the truth about managing for biofuels and carbon sequestration, and shared the models, challenges and lessons learned on how community forests are distributing their profits back to their communities.
The Conference Report is indented to provide a summary of the conference sessions to inform the readers who were not able to attend. It also serves as a record of the discussions and identifies any key outcomes. The report includes a range of notes, excerpts and quotes from the speakers as well as the links to the conference presentations for access to additional detail.
Click here to download the Conference Report
To view the conference presentations click on the titles. If you have any trouble downloading, please contact conference@bccfa.ca
2010 BCCFA President’s Report – Robin Hood
BCCFA Update – Jennifer Gunter
Ministry of Forests and Range (MFR) Update – Ron Greschner, MFR
Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative Showcase- Stephan Martineau
Wetzinkwa (Smithers and Telkwa) Community Forest Showcase – Lisa Ambus
Green Heat – David Dubois, Green Heat Initiative
Feedstock Supply Logistics – Challenges & Opportunities for Biofuels – Ken Day, RPF, UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest
Community Forests and BC Carbon Sequestration Policy – Jeff Monty, RPF, Forest and Agriculture Associate, Pacific Carbon Trust
Community Forests and Carbon Credit Opportunities: Are they too good to be true? – Brian Smart, RPF, RPBio, Sunshine Coast CFA