Opinion Editorial: Community forests offer a practical path forward for British Columbia

By Jennifer Gunter, MRM, Executive Director, and Erik Holbek, RPF, President, BC Community Forest Association

British Columbia’s (B.C.) forest sector is at a turning point. Communities are feeling the effects of sawmill and pulp mill closures, catastrophic wildfires, changing markets, and general uncertainty about the future. British Columbians are also asking how forests can support healthy ecosystems, sustainable local economies, reconciliation, public safety, recreation, and other community priorities.

We believe community forestry offers a tested and proven way forward and should be on the minds of British Columbians and on the platforms of those running for office in the provincial election.

Community forests put decisions about local forests closer to the people who understand those places and live with the outcomes. Through long-term community forest agreements, a range of local organizations—including municipalities, First Nations, community organizations, and partnerships—can manage nearby forests according to local values. 

And the good news? The community forest model is already working across B.C. There are 62 operating community forests, each shaped by their local landscape, economy, relationships, and priorities. More than half are held directly by First Nations or operated through partnerships involving First Nations, creating opportunities for shared stewardship, economic participation, and reconciliation.

Each community forest is unique, but they share the same fundamental goals, including responsible local stewardship, economic benefits that remain in the community, and sustainable management for future generations. The outcomes of this work are measurable and have tremendous impact, too.

The BC Community Forest Association tracks the economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits of community forestry through our annual Indicators Report. The most recent findings in our 2026 report show that community forests generate 74% more jobs than the industry average. They provide wood to local mills and value-added manufacturers, employ local contractors and other service providers, and sustain economic activity, often in rural and First Nations communities. 

Community forests directly support local priorities through cash and in-kind contributions. And because they are thinking long term and focused on local priorities, their benefits extend beyond economic. Depending on the community, that can mean enhancing wildlife habitat, protecting watersheds, maintaining trails, safeguarding hunting areas and gathering places, or providing educational opportunities., In the 2026 Indictors Report, we saw significant time spent on  educational activities with local schools, the construction and maintenance of 56 km of trails and a total investment $1.45 Million in enhanced forest stewardship.

Community forests also help protect populated areas from wildfire: over the past decade, those reporting have treated more than 9,000 hectares and invested $10.9 million of their own resources in wildfire-related initiatives. Their local knowledge, relationships, and operational capacity allow communities to act before the next emergency.

We believe that this work demonstrates one of the model’s greatest strengths, which is local accountability. The people making decisions about the land are also the people who live with those decisions. They see how forest management affects everything from employment and recreation to wildlife and long-term forest health. That connection creates a strong incentive to listen, learn, adapt, and make decisions for the community today and for generations from now. 

Community forests also strengthen the broader forest sector by selling logs and forest products to help support mills, specialty manufacturers, value-added producers, and emerging uses for fibre, including biomass. Their individual flexibility, local relationships, and understanding of regional conditions help connect available fibre with the businesses and workers that depend on it.

For many years, the provincial government has recognized the value of the community forest model and recently committed to expanding the Community Forest Program. The recent announcement to expand the McLeod Lake Mackenzie and North Island Community Forests demonstrate progress, but there are many communities and First Nations that are interested in establishing and growing community forest tenures.

We believe the provincial government needs to continue to expand the program where there is community and First Nations support. We also believe that expansion must protect the conditions that make community forests successful with provincial policies recognizing their distinctive mandate to manage for multiple values, maintain viable operations, and reinvest benefits locally. Community forests cannot deliver their full potential without land to steward and policies that reflect their public-purpose role. Wildfire resilience must also be treated as a long-term commitment and community forests have shown they can plan, coordinate, and complete proactive risk reduction work. Reliable, multi-year provincial funding would support local planning, implementation, maintenance, and collaboration in and around at-risk communities.

As British Columbians consider the province’s future in the October 24, 2026, provincial election, we are asking political parties, candidates, and the next government to make two clear commitments.

1. Expand the Community Forest Program and protect the policies and operating conditions that make community forests viable.

2. Provide stable, long-term funding for proactive wildfire management, planning, and risk reduction in and around community forests.

These practical actions would strengthen local economies, support First Nations leadership and partnerships, reduce wildfire risk, and help build a more resilient forest sector. 

Community forestry will not solve every challenge facing B.C.’s forests or forest sector, but it offers a model that is already delivering results in communities across the province. The evidence is seen in the forests they steward, the wildfire risk they reduce, the partnerships they build, and the benefits they return to communities. We believe we are at a point in time to bring those benefits to more British Columbians through the Community Forest Program.

Please consider asking your local candidate whether they support expanding community forestry, protecting the model’s viability, and providing stable, long-term funding for wildfire resilience. We invite you to learn more at www.bccfa.ca/2026-provincial-election-priorities 

About the authors

Jennifer Gunter, MRM, is the Executive Director of the BC Community Forest Association. She has more than 25 years of experience in community forestry and community economic development and has a master’s degree in resource management from Simon Fraser University. She advocates for sustainable local economies and resilient ecosystems through community-based resource management. 

Erik Holbek is President of the BC Community Forest Association board of directors and the General Manager of the Barkley Community Forest, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, near Ucluelet, B.C.. A Registered Professional Forester, he owns and operates Econ Consulting and works with small and medium-sized forest tenure holders on Vancouver Island.