A forest tenure held by Lake Babine Nation is increasing by more than 2,000% through a partnership with the Province and a tenure transfer from West Fraser, marking a significant milestone in growing the Nation’s role in forestry.
“This is real on-the-ground collaboration that gets things done for Lake Babine Nation, boosts the local economy and delivers for people across B.C.,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “It’s a powerful partnership – one that secures a steady fibre supply for West Fraser and helps produce world-class, made-in-B.C. wood products.”
Through this partnership, the Lake Babine First Nations Woodland Licence is growing from approximately 5,600 hectares to encompass more than 126,000 hectares of Lake Babine Nation territory, bringing traditional values into forest management practices, over a forested area the size of about 311 Stanley Parks. The area of land available to harvest included in the licence is northeast of Smithers, near the Lake Babine Nation communities of Fort Babine (Wit’at) and Old Fort around the northern half of Lake Babine.
“As stewards of our lands since time immemorial and still today, Lake Babine Nation has forever recognized the deep responsibility we hold in ensuring our forests are managed with ecological respect and generational sustainability,” said Chief Wilf Adam, Lake Babine Nation. “Forestry is not just an industry; its principles and mechanisms are woven into our identity, our traditions and our vision for the future. With the support of the Province, our new partnership with West Fraser will advance Lake Babine Nation toward prosperous new opportunities, along with the interconnected local economies within our area of influence. It's a flexible agreement aimed at our great-grandchildren, through the health of our ecology and economy in balance.”
Expanding Lake Babine Nation’s First Nations Woodland Licence was made possible through a partnership with West Fraser, serving as a model for business-to-business relationships that support long-term sustainability for the forestry sector, economic development for the communities that rely in it and reconciliation with First Nations.
“I want to congratulate the Lake Babine Nation on what we have been able to build together,” said Sean McLaren, president and CEO, West Fraser. “This achievement would not have been possible without the leadership and the support of government. By recognizing the importance of fibre security and Indigenous partnerships, the Province is helping secure the future of the forest sector in Smithers – for our employees, contractors, local businesses and communities throughout the region.”
The expanded tenure follows after a collaborative management agreement between Lake Babine Nation and BC Timber Sales, which ensured the continuity of BC Timber Sales operations and enhanced Lake Babine Nation’s stewardship over its territory. Lake Babine Nation established a forestry company called LBN Forestry to oversee its forestry operations. LBN Forestry is generating revenue, creating job opportunities for the community and supplying timber for local mills, together strengthening the local forestry economy.
This milestone forest licence expansion represents a significant achievement in the implementation of Lake Babine Nation’s Foundation Agreement. The Foundation Agreement was finalized in 2020 and outlined a 20-year vision to implement Lake Babine Nation rights and title, including a vision to hold and manage a minimum of 250,000 cubic metres of forest tenure located on its territory.
In 2021, the Province set a goal of 20% of the allowable annual cut being held by First Nations. Building upon this announcement, First Nations now hold approximately 20% of the allowable annual cut, through a mix of different types of tenures. The vision government put forward in the modernizing forestry policy intentions paper continues to guide work to evolve forestry policy.
Quick Facts:
- Nearly 212,000 cubic metres of allowable annual cut is being added to Lake Babine Nation’s First Nation Woodland Licence, bringing the new total to more than 230,000 cubic metres, or approximately 4,600 truckloads of logs per year.
- The First Nation Woodland Licence covers approximately 10% of Lake Babine Nation’s territory.
- The expanded First Nation Woodland Licence includes tenure contributed from West Fraser, building on two previous partnership agreements between the company and Lake Babine Nation.
Learn More:
To learn more about Lake Babine Nation, visit:
https://www.lakebabine.com/
To learn more about First Nations Woodland Licences, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures/timber-harvesting-rights/first-nations-woodland-licence