Twenty-one students with the University of British Columbia’s Master of Sustainable Forest Management (MSFM) program visited the Sea to Sky in January to learn from Lil’wat Forestry Ventures (LFV) about economic and traditional elements of forestry.
Between Jan. 20 and 24, the students worked with LFV on how to develop a landscape-level forest management plan that respects key conservation, fire management and cultural values.
They were led by Ken Byrne, a UBC lecturer and registered professional forester (RPF) and lecturer at UBC. Byrne has been organizing these expeditions for some time, usually working to arrange the MSFM in partnership with a community forest or smaller tenure nearby or owned by a First Nation.
“Indigenous content is layered throughout the program, because obviously we're managing on public land which, in B.C., is largely unceded ancestral and traditional territory," said Byrne. "We need to respect that when we're putting together those [management] plans in ways that we have not done in the past.”
During their visit, students met with the Líl̓wat Nation council, community members, and LFV staff to understand their objectives and challenges in managing the forest tenure.
Every year, Byrne works with a partner Nation to establish key themes that will guide the team's research. This year, in collaboration with LFV general manager Klay Tindall, the team settled on four areas:
Commercial thinning, which involves selectively removing trees from a forest to improve the growth of the remaining trees and to obtain wood products; pre-commercial thinning, where smaller trees with no commercial value are removed to boost biodiversity and reduce fuel for forest fires; cultural burning, a traditional practice meant to reduce the risk of fire and boost biodiversity and wildlife habitat; and botanicals, which involves research into plants with cultural value to the Lil'wat Nation.
Byrne says the four themes are a necessary balance of commercial forestry and respecting traditional values.
“We're teaching all the fundamentals of forest management, of sustainable forest management, which of course includes the economic—everybody needs wood to build houses, everybody needs paper, everybody needs the products that come from forest," noted Byrne. "But the point is that we can do it sustainably and still have a resource for our children in the future.
"So that's what we teach and that is the role of a professional forester.”
The MSFM has also worked with the Osoyoos and Ulkatcho First Nations in years past on projects involving old growth and old growth recruitment.
Tindall said he's glad LFV can offer the students some hands-on learning opportunities that will help them garner a deeper understanding of forestry and push beyond commercial values.
“We’re thrilled to partner with UBC on another project," Tindall said in a release. "Our collaboration has allowed us to combine traditional forest science with Lil’wat cultural knowledge and values, leading to more informed management decisions."
“These decisions have enabled Líl̓wat Forestry to recognize the value of forests not just for their timber, which helps provide housing for British Columbians as well as capturing carbon in these finished wood products, but also for their role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.”
In addition to working with LFV, students visited the Cheakamus Community Forest in Whistler, the Speĺkúmtn Community Forest in Mount Currie and the Squamish Community Forest during their week-long stint in the Sea to Sky.
