ABSTRACT
Community forest agreements (CFAs) are licences issued by the Province of British Columbia (BC) to local communities. With diverse organisational structures, CFA holders have limited yet strong forest management rights that incentivise management for the long-term health of forests and communities. Of the 58 community forests operating in BC in 2021, nearly half are held by Indigenous Nations or a partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. A broader set of rights and supporting forest policy aimed at integrated management of forest resources would allow BC’s community forests to more fully match the expectation placed on the community forest concession licence, termed ‘tenure’. But despite the limitations of the tenure, community forests are creating important economic, social, cultural, and ecological benefits at a time when employment and other benefits to rural communities from industrial forestry are in decline. The BC Community Forest Association contends that the CFA is a tangible way to promote rural development and climate change adaptation, and can also be a tool to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. For these reasons, it is the most appropriate tenure for the lands surrounding Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
