PROJECT DETAILS

Based on an Interview with Jasmine Thomas, Kasandra Turbide, Reese Patrick, James Thomas, and Erik Johnny-Martin

About

Healthy forests play an integral part in climate resilience. For Saik’uz First Nation, industrial forestry practices have had far-reaching and devastating impacts on the territory and people. These impacts have resulted in extreme environmental stewardship concerns. Saik’uz First Nation has called for immediate changes to forestry management in efforts to not only protect the territory and its climate resilience, but to enhance their food sovereignty and to re-establish their connection to traditional practices.

In 2021, the Land and Resources Department produced the short film "Old Growth, New Beginnings", capturing the story of forestry impacts on the community as well as efforts to work with the local forestry companies. Saik’uz First Nation is not opposed to logging, but they are finding ways to work with forestry companies in a way that honours the integrity of the land and its ecosystems. They do this through a joint planning process alongside community environmental monitors.

Now the community is able to make decisions about the areas logged alongside the foresters. They think about less disturbance to the forest floors, wildlife corridors and ways that better protect riparian zones and retention areas, which will be increasingly important as temperatures rise. 

Positive impacts and outcomes

Not only has Saik’uz First Nation been able to protect important ecosystem features, wildlife habitats, and culturally significant areas, but Saik’uz First Nation has succeeded in establishing positive relationships with local forestry companies. The process has not been easy, but after years of negotiations and relationship-building, Saik’uz First Nation has been able to address broader systemic issues and have conversations about reconciliation in the context of business and resource extraction in the community’s traditional territory. 

The environmental monitors program has also been very successful; “now when they go to the field, they're teaching the foresters about our values, and we're getting really good feedback from them about how much they're learning from our crew when they're out in the field with them,” says Kasandra Turbide. “And we're getting them to not only look at the dollar signs in the forest, but to make sure you take care of the health of the land and the health of the water and the animals that live amongst them.” 

Now Saik’uz First Nation is seeing other licensees coming to the table and being more willing to implement changes that the Nation fought hard for in the past.

Forestry has had an impact on food security. Erik Johnny Martin says “I used to be able to walk for days and not run out of forest but now I go and walk, and I walk for 10 minutes and I hit a cut block.” However in recent years 82% of community members have engaged in rights based activities such as hunting and gathering, in large part thanks to the forestry initiative. 

Funding

Funding for this project came primarily from the Nation’s own-source revenue as well as agreements with the forestry companies they are working with.

Challenges

While negotiating high level agreements about resource management planning at a regional level, sometimes the proposed changes don’t translate to the ground level as quickly as needed. Also, Kasandra adds that “current legislation is a huge challenge… operating in colonial systems that were never really meant for us. People are starting to be better educated on reconciliation and the state of our forests, and that’s helping.” Another challenge is that, in light of the amount of land already clear cut and goals for forest stewardship and conservation, there is going to be a big reduction in the amount of timber available for harvest, and the community is working on adapting to this reality through economic diversification. 

Community Climate Resilience

Reducing clear cutting enhances climate resilience. Many species are going to struggle to adapt to climate changes. Devastated landscapes (clear cutting) or areas that are too densely replanted, on top of these climatic changes, will create stressful environments for wildlife to survive in. A healthy ecosystem with dispersed trees, protected riparian zones and wetlands, wildlife corridors, shaded areas, enhanced precipitation, Saik’uz First Nation is taking big steps for their community climate resilience. 

“We get more trees in the cut blocks, and we're saving the water that runs through them, and creating an environment for it to actually survive on the Territory again. Water is everything and it's important for the Land.” - James Thomas

Next Steps

The community is working on an Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Territory. “We're working on a process where family representatives are going to be directly involved in the development of the Plan, determining which priorities and values and prescriptions are going to be where, when, how,” explains Kasandra. So we're looking forward to that as being part of the change.” 

The Nation also sees opportunities to collaborate with other Nations on many different areas in terms of conducting research on a regional landscape level to address some of these broader concerns. “So there's a lot of understanding and relearning, unlearning, and learning that needs to happen between all these different groups in terms of these different value systems that impact how industries are operating,”  shares Jasmine Thomas.

Recommendations for other Indigenous communities hoping to do similar work

“Get your moccasins on the ground” is some advice given by James Thomas. “Get out there and be part of the land.”

Having the monitoring project really allowed the community and the Band Office to advocate not only for the people, but for the Territory. Foresters do a lot of their work on computers, and not always out on the Land. “And It's the same for us, right? How can you advocate for changes if you haven't actually been on the Land and you don't see what's going on there? We know what's going on, you can't just brush it under the rug any more.”

The community also recommends getting the local industries involved and to work with biologists.  

“We really wanted to create a different narrative around forestry with Indigenous People as well. In the film, we talk about the impacts to our culture and our rights, but we also talk about how we're not against forestry, if it's done in a sustainable way. Changing the public narrative, and then also being more involved in planning, land use planning, with the Province going forward as well. So that our initiatives are not just Saik'uz initiative, they're recognized by the province, and respected by licensees and other natural resource developers as well.” - Kasandra Turbide