Features Forestry Management Harvesting
Ontario forestry in the Far North

June 18, 2013 – Pikangikum has been issued a Sustainable Forest Licence (SFL) for the Whitefeather Forest – the only SFL granted to a First Nation community in the Far North.

Through this agreement, Ontario and Pikangikum First Nation will work together to develop the forestry sector, create jobs and boost the local economy.

Under the terms of the licence, Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority (WFCRMA) will be responsible for implementing a Forest Management Plan, which includes strategies for harvesting and building access roads, monitoring and reporting on compliance, as well as sustainably managing area trees, plants, animal life, water, air and soil.

Supporting greater Aboriginal involvement in the forestry sector is part of the Ontario government's plan to create a prosperous economy and a fair society for all.

Facts

• The Whitefeather Forest is an 11,749-square-kilometre area in northwestern Ontario, located approximately 80 kilometres east of the Manitoba border and 90 kilometres north of the Town of Red Lake.
• In 2006, Pikangikum First Nation and Ontario approved “Keeping the Land,” a community-based land-use strategy for the Whitefeather Forest that supports both protected areas and opportunities for economic development, including forestry.

June 18, 2013  By Woodbusiness