Summary

• Local residents in Williams Lake and surrounding communities are invited to provide input through a public survey and two open houses to help guide the development of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest Landscape Plan
• The plan is being developed in partnership with First Nations to support long-term forest stewardship, sustainability and community priorities
• Feedback will help inform future forest management decisions in the region

__________

Local residents are invited to share their input on the development of the Cariboo-Chilcotin forest landscape plan (FLP) to guide long-term forest management decisions in the area.

People can share their thoughts through a survey, which will run from Monday, April 13 to May 30, 2026. The Ministry of Forests will also hold two open houses so the community can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions.

Open house details are as follows:

April 29, 2026
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Gibraltar Room, Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex
525 Proctor St.
Williams Lake

May 2, 2026
10 a.m. to noon
Community Club
2620 Stum Lake Rd.
Alexis Creek

First Nations and community engagement

FLPs are developed in partnership with First Nations to ensure meaningful participation in forestry planning and long-term decision-making.

The following First Nations have partnered with the Province on the Cariboo-Chilcotin FLP:

• Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation
• Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake Band)
• Nuxalk
• Tsideldel
• Xatśūll
• Tl’esqox
• Ulkatcho
• Esk’etemc
• Yunesit’in
• ?Esdilagh Nazko
• Xeni Gwet’in
• Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN)
• Tsilhqot’in National Government
• Lhoosk’uz
• Lhtako
• Xwisten

Engagement with other First Nations in the area continues.

Engagement with forest licensees, subject-matter experts and the public is a key part of every FLP. This ensures that all parties have opportunities to share their perspectives and help inform decisions about future forest management in the region. The Cariboo-Chilcotin FLP team regularly updates forest licensees on planning progress and has scheduled a meeting for licensees to attend to further discuss how their expertise can support plan development alongside community identified values.

Through early collaboration with First Nations partners and initial engagement with forest licence holders, key themes have emerged that will be integrated into the survey for public feedback to reflect community priorities.

Developing FLPs is a new approach to forest stewardship that establishes clear direction for the management of forest-related values, such as old forests, biodiversity, ecosystem health, climate change, watershed health and wildfire risk.

Once feedback is received, the next step is to incorporate feedback into the FLP itself.

Quick Facts:

• B.C. has 15 forest landscape tables that are at various phases of planning, representing 42% of the area intended for FLPs.
• FLP design is guided by five key objectives: 
  • manage the values placed on forest ecosystems by First Nation
  • support the protection and conservation of the environment
  • support production and supply of timber in the forest landscape area
  • manage the values placed on ecosystems by local communities
  • prevent, mitigate and adapt to effects caused by significant disturbances to forests and forest health

Learn More:

To learn more about the Cariboo-Chilcotin FLP and provide feedback through the survey, visit:
https://planninginpartnership.ca/p/67dcaa40f2b5af00399085de/commenting

To learn about sustainable forest stewardship and forest landscape plans in B.C., visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/forest-landscape-plans