Summary

• Residents in Kootenay Lake region are invited to provide input through a public survey and in-person opportunities to help guide the development of the Kootenay Lake Forest Landscape Plan
• The plan is being developed in partnership with First Nations to support forest stewardship, sustainability and community priorities
• Feedback will help inform future forest-management decisions in the region

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Residents in Nelson, Creston, Kaslo and surrounding areas are invited to share their input on the development of the Kootenay Lake Forest Landscape Plan (FLP) to guide forest-management decisions in the area.

The Kootenay Lake FLP initiative focuses on improving forest management for the 1.2-million-hectare Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area.

People can share their thoughts through a survey from June 22 until Aug. 21, 2026. The Kootenay Lake FLP team will be present at local events so people can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions.

Events details are as follows:

Canada Day event
Date: July 1, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location:
Rotary Lakeside Park
910 Second St.
Nelson

Open house
Date: July 8, 2026
Time: 5-8 p.m.
Location:
Prestige Lakeside Resort
701 Lakeside Dr.
Nelson

Date: July 15, 2026
Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location:
Kootenay Co-op
777 Baker St.
Nelson

Date: July 18, 2026
Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location:
Creston Valley Farmer’s Market
ʔak̓uǂni Park (behind the Visitor Centre)
1103 Cook St.
Creston

Date: August 15, 2026
Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location:
Kaslo Farmer’s Market
430 Front St.
Kaslo

First Nations and community engagement

FLPs are being developed through collaborative planning with First Nations and engagement with forest licensees, local communities and other stakeholders in each local area.

The partnering First Nations in the Kootenay Lake FLP are yaqan nuʔkiy, Shuswap Band, Adams Lake Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw and Ktunaxa Nation Council Society.

Engagement with other First Nations in the area continues to ensure there are ongoing opportunities for dialogue and input.

Engagement with forest licensees, subject-matter experts and the public is a key part of every FLP. The engagement ensures that operational expertise from forest licensees is incorporated into plan development alongside First Nations’ interests and community-identified values.

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.

Through collaborative planning and improved stewardship tools, FLPs ultimately increase the stability and predictability of a sustainable timber supply to support communities and the forest industry.

Media wanting to connect at in-person opportunities are requested to register using the media relations contact.

Quick Facts:

• B.C. has 15 forest landscape planning 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 Nations  
  • 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 Kootenay Lake FLP and provide feedback through the survey, visit: https://planninginpartnership.ca/p/6882b60e43fb68002119ded9/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