Forest Management

The Burns Lake Community Forest spans 92,062 hectares and is the largest community forest currently operating in BC.

The forest is made up of a mix of tree species including lodgepole pine, hybrid spruce, subalpine fir, Douglas fir, black spruce, trembling aspen, cottonwood, and birch.

It is home to varied wildlife including moose, mule and white-tailed deer, black and grizzly bears, as well as many other fur-bearing animals and numerous species of birds, fish, and aquatic life.

We’re dedicated to increasing knowledge around sustainable resource values and have invested more than $2,000,000 to ensure the sustainability of the community forest to support the area. This investment will continue as we undertake future innovative and environmental value assessments to manage the BLCF area base.

We undertake ongoing efforts to:

Improve First Nations and public engagement

Incorporate First Nations stewardship principles into forest management

Ensure Land Use Plan objectives are incorporated

Incorporate strategies for climate change

Consider and incorporate forest health strategies

Improve strategies and results for wildfire protection

Design and incorporate enhanced reforestation activities to support a diverse and more fire-resistant ecosystem and a sustainable forest industry for generations

safety

Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd. is committed to safety by ensuring that all activities undertaken in the community forest are done in a safe and secure manner.

We comply with all the laws of application required to protect forest workers including, but not limited to, WorkSafeBC Regulations and the Workers Compensation Act. We maintain an Occupational Health and Safety Program that is consistent with these regulations.

BLCF attained Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in 2017, and with it came a commitment to developing an Indigenous Communication and Engagement Framework to continue working collaboratively with First Nations.

As part of the FSC certification process, BLCF recognized the principles of the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and integrated First Nations’ Rights to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) within its decision-making and ongoing operations.

Our FSC certification shows that the Community Forest K1A licence is being managed with the highest social and environmental standards. BLCF also has FSC Chain of Custody certification to ensure a transparent tracking system from the certified forest logs to the custom-cut manufacturing facilities, allowing our logs and lumber products to be sold as FSC Certified.

If you would like more information on the Community Forest and FSC certification, please contact us. We would be happy to answer all your questions.

Forestry Management Resources

Our pledge to forest management is reflected within our mandate to ensure diversity, sustainability, First Nations stewardship and values, and community input, while staying current with certified national forestry (FSC) standards.

Documentation