PLAN FOR HAIDA GWAII
The Haida Nation’s Taan Forest Ltd. and BC Timber Sales have agreed to jointly plan and manage over 270,000 hectares of working forests on B.C.’s Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), B.C. Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell and Bob Brash, President of Taan Forest Ltd. announced this week.
“This partnership increases employment, value added opportunities and improves operating conditions on Haida Gwaii,” said Bell. “By working together we’ve established a continuous fibre supply, created efficiencies in planning, administration and infrastructure maintenance, and increased the community involvement in managing the land.”
The Cooperative Management Agreement the parties signed is consistent with the Haida Gwaii Strategic Land Use Agreement and provides the framework for joint planning, safety and forest management certification. Under the agreement, sustainable forestry practices will be used to maximize local employment, leverage operational efficiencies, and ensure data is generated for market pricing.
“In the very near future, it is envisioned that Taan Forest will have the largest cut on Haida Gwaii,” said Brash. “Finding operational efficiencies through business partnerships with BCTS, the communities and other licensees make sense. In today’s tough economic climate for the forest industry, it is critical all parties leverage any opportunity for efficiencies through economies of scale, coordinated planning, and more consistent long-term employment opportunities.”
The agreement also lays the groundwork to achieve Forest Stewardship Council Sustainable Forest Management Certification for the cooperative area, improve opportunities to market certified wood products from Haida Gwaii, and strengthen the wood supply for value-added manufacturing.
Taan (Black Bear) Forest Ltd. is a Haida-owned company of the Haida Enterprise Corporation. BC Timber Sales is a government agency, which has responsibility for about 20 per cent of the province’s allowable annual cut and provides the cost and price benchmark for the province’s market-based timber pricing system.
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