Spelkúmtn Community Forest

After years of planning and collaboration between the Village of Pemberton (VOP), Lil’wat Nation and the province, the new Spelkúmtn Community Forest (SCF) management plan was finally unveiled at a community information session on April 21. The SCF, which consists of a total of 17,727 hectares of forest land, is a partnership between the VOP and Lil’wat Nation designed to promote reconciliation, increase community benefits from local resources and amplify local voices in regards to the management of the surrounding forest. …According to the Community Forest Agreement (CFA), signed by Richman and Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson in 2020, some core values of the SCF include environmental stewardship, wildlife conservation and habitat enhancement, community relationships, watershed protection and economic viability, among others. …the SCF also has a list of 14 key objectives, one of which is maintaining an ecologically sustainable perpetual timber harvest rate of 11,000 cubic metres, or approximately 20 to 22 ha per year.