“How far do you have to walk to find peace again?”: A case study of First Nations' operational values for a community forest inNortheastBritishColumbia,Canada

Abstract

In this paper we report upon research conducted with two First Nations located in British Columbia, Canada (Saulteau First Nations and West Moberly First Nations) on their preferences regarding forest operations within their community forest license. We confirmed the forestry‐related values previously documented in other research, and we are able to determine specific parameters with regard to the protection or integration of these values, particularly those that are ecologically based. In addition, we identify significant cultural values expected in forestry planning and management, their parameters, as well as values not commonly discussed within the literature, such as concerns over non‐indigenous access and conflicting, overlapping resource tenures. We conclude that further research, which accounts for and readily accommodates indigenous values and preferences, is needed to examine North American indigenous participation in both community forest tenures and in developing forest operation planning.

Growing together: A principle-based approach to building collaborative Indigenous partnerships in Canada’s forest sector

“…Similarly, Lewis and Sheppard (2006) have demonstrated that generational differences exist in the ways that youth and Elders interact with, and accept, various support tools, such as maps and landscape visualization software that are used in forest resource decision-making. Because traditional outcomes of forest development, such as capacity-building arrangements , employment opportunities (Zurba and Trimble 2014), or cultural-retention initiatives (Booth and Muir 2013) are often targeted towards Indigenous youth, these differences in perspectives may result in such opportunities being unbeneficial or undesirable to youth, as they are created on youths' behalf, but without their direct input. thermore, any collaborative arrangements developed without the direct input of youth run the risk of becoming irrelevant over time, as younger generations enter community leadership roles (Zurba and Trimble 2014).…”

“…This may prove to be a difficult task however, as current forest management systems largely reflect Western worldviews (McGregor 2011) with strong colonial legacies (Bouman et al 1996), and the assumption that ultimate authority rests with provincial governments (Mabee and Hoberg 2006). Consequently, there remains a strong need to develop processes that incorporate Indigenous values and interests into forest management, as well as provide communities with meaningful opportunities to occupy a more influential role in forestry-related decisionmaking frameworks.…”

“…Numerous studies have demonstrated that Indigenous communities routinely express that the limited scope of current forest management plans (Maclean et al 2015) and the guidelines that inform them (Sapic et al 2009) may make them inappropriate for protecting the full range of community values and objectives in a holistic and culturallyrelevant manner. Indeed, many communities contend that forest management planning must be expanded to recognize the relationships between the land and Indigenous peoples (Booth 1998), encompassing practices such as the traditional harvesting of both wild game (Booth and Muir 2013) and plants (Lewis 2008), as well as other aspects of the "bush economy" (Robinson and Ross 1997, p. 600). To illustrate this point, through household surveys of the Yukon's Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Natcher et al (2004) demonstrated that 100% of community households used both berries and trees for a variety of purposes and that non-timber forest products provided both nutritional and medicinal benefits, but also contributed to overall community wellbeing.…”

“…These processes must also be supported by strong governance systems (Trosper et al 2008) with sufficient financial and technical resources for initial implementation (Treseder and Krogman 1999) and long-term capacity building (Kant and Brubacher 2008). Additionally, timber allocations must be large enough to ensure that the costs of equipment (Booth and Skelton 2011), forest certification requirements (Smith 1998) and maintaining robust monitoring programs are able to be covered. Ultimately, the combination of community-based measures of success and developing robust means of achieving them will not only enable communities to derive meaningful benefits for their members but also for entire communities-and the individuals within them-to become engaged and empowered by the process itself.…”

To log or not to log? How forestry fits with the goals of First Nations in British Columbia

“…Evidence from the US highlights that forestry can support community members through job creation, and income from harvesting may help groups achieve goals of self-governance and self-sufficiency (Trosper 2007). However, other research shows that involvement in the forestry sector can cause conflict as economic, social, cultural, spiritual, and ecological values collide (Booth and Muir 2013;Booth and Skelton 2011). This view is consistent with a critical perspective of development in which scholars see development as a "negative" transformative process, e.g., nature and forests become commodities, traditional value systems are cast as primitive, and indigenous communities must assimilate with the market to enhance their standard of living (Escobar 1995).…”