Witset First Nation is participating in the Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project. This includes a decision-making role in the Planning Table, First Nations Steering Committee, and additional working groups formed to co-develop the plan.

Witset First Nation is observing the Lakes Resiliency Project – Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project. This includes attending meetings convened by the Planning Table and First Nations Steering Committee.

The goal of the Forest Landscape Planning projects is to establish clear objectives and outcomes for the management of forest resource values within given Timber Supply Areas (TSA).

When completed, each Forest Landscape Plan will:

• Enhance ecosystem health and resiliency
• Manage for culturally significant ecosystems and Indigenous values
• Reflect community values
• Identify where and how forest management activities can occur
• Provide clarity on overlapping direction from strategic plans and land use objectives
• Support the production and supply of timber
• Manage for the prevention, mitigation, or adaptation to forest disturbance events such as climate change, forest health, and wildfire

Each Forest Landscape Planning project is led by a Planning Table, which includes technical representatives from the provincial government, forest licensees, and First Nations. Local communities and stakeholders are involved at key milestones throughout each project.

Both the Lakes Resiliency Project - Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project and the Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project also have their own First Nations Steering Committees. The same technical representatives who sit on the project's Planning Table also sit on the First Nations Steering Committee.

The following Nations are participating in these two projects:

Lakes Resiliency Project - Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project

Cheslatta Carrier Nation

Lake Babine Nation

Nee Tahi Buhn

Office of the Wet'suwet'en

Ts'il Kaz Koh

Wet'suwet'en First Nation

Witset First Nation

Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project

Cheslatta Carrier Nation

Lake Babine Nation

Gitxsan Laxyip Management Office

Office of the Wet'suwet'en

Wet'suwet'en First Nation

Witset First Nation

First Nation participation may change over time as each Nation's capacity and priorities shift.

Technical representatives are chosen by each First Nation’s chief and council (or senior leadership, in the case of an Indigenous governing body).

The Representative sits on the Planning Table and the First Nations Steering Committee. They keep their leadership informed about the development of the Forest Landscape Plan, and they bring direction received from leadership back to the Planning Table and First Nations Steering Committee.

The Representative is also the main point of contact for members of the Nation they represent to be informed about and engaged in the Forest Landscape Planning project.

The Lakes Resiliency Project – Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project and the Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project each have their own First Nations Steering Committees.

The First Nations Steering Committee is made up of the technical representatives chosen by each First Nation (or Indigenous governing body), as well as a facilitator.

The First Nations Steering Committee is a forum to learn from each other, develop recommendations, and present First Nations perspectives to the Planning Table from a position of strength and collaboration.

The First Nations Steering Committees in both the Lakes Resiliency Project and the Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project work together to develop a framework to represent healthy ecosystems within Nations’ understanding and connection with the land. This may include:

• Identifying cultural wellbeing objectives for valued ecosystem components included in the plan;

• Developing special management requirements for culturally sensitive areas, while also maintaining confidentiality for cultural sites and use areas; and

• Incorporating best management practices and stewardship guidelines shared by participating First Nations.

Yes. Within the Lakes Resiliency Project – Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project, the First Nations Steering Committee has advocated for numerous successful changes, including government-to-government meetings with technical representatives, educational workshops, relationship-building activities, and overall procedural improvements.

These efforts have informed the Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project, where the First Nations Steering Committee have put into action the learnings, while continuing to improve on the consensus-based decision-making at the Planning Table.

Generally, decolonial education is a journey. The First Nations Steering Committee acknowledges the imperfections and limitations of the Forest Landscape Planning process, and will continue to provide recommendations to improve the process.

With the legal recognition of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in BC, First Nations are starting to take back our decision-making authority. We are moving from being just consulted on plans to having real decision-making power.

Forest Landscape Planning is part of the new way of doing business. By participating in the planning process, Nations may ensure they’re benefitting from the forest economy, for the benefit of their communities, and in such a way that their values are represented in the long-term impacts on the land.

Participating in the planning process itself also has benefits. It reinforces the right for Nations to make land use decisions, and it builds and strengthens relationships with representatives of other Nations as well as provincial staff.

The Bulkley-Morice Forest Landscape Planning Project and Lakes Resiliency Project – Forest Landscape Planning Pilot Project each serve as a starting point for discussions on what Nations want on the land, while ensuring their voices are heard and working in partnership with the Province.