Next week, Port Alberni will be hosting Indigenous leaders, forestry professionals and policymakers from across the province for the first-ever Indigenous Forestry Conference.
The inaugural event will take place Tuesday, Sept. 10 and Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at the Best Western Plus Barclay Hotel.
The event aims to optimize Indigenous participation in the forest economy by uniting leaders, forestry professionals and policymakers to discuss key issues and showcase successful Indigenous-led conservation initiatives. By highlighting both the successes and challenges faced by Indigenous communities, the conference aims to chart a course towards more inclusive and sustainable forestry management practices in Canada.
Wahmeesh (Ken Watts), the elected Chief Councillor for Port Alberni's Tseshaht First Nation, said the conference came out of a discussion he had with former Huu-ay-aht First Nations elected Chief Councillor Robert Dennis Sr. Both nations have recently formed partnerships within the forestry industry. Huu-ay-aht has formed Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership with Western Forest Products, while Tseshaht has formed Nashuk Limited Partnership with ROGA Group, which focuses on road building and excavation work.
"Port Alberni is a hub for many Nuu-chah-nulth nations, and forestry is our No. 1 economic driver for our community," Watts explained. "Forestry is like fishing, in how we envision our role in the sector. With fishing, we want it to be from river to plate. It's the same thing with forestry — we want it to be going to our mills and our lumber yards, and even our houses being built from our own companies."
Watts will be one of the event speakers, along with Dennis and Dallas Smith, the president of Nanwakolas Council in northern Vancouver Island. The two-day conference will feature a number of panels and networking opportunities. Watts says there will also be a "matchmaking" portion of the conference, which will facilitate smaller and more in-depth conversations between interested businesses and decision-makers.
There will also be some discussions of hereditary leadership, so that people can gain insights into how traditional Indigenous knowledge can be merged with modern forestry practices.
"Our involvement in the industry is changing right before our eyes," said Watts. "At this point, we're beyond just consultation. The challenge is that there are government policies and things that need to change, especially if we want forestry to be sustainable."
While many of the panel topics will focus on success stories and sharing best practices, other panels will look at challenges in the forest industry and potential solutions.
"There are not a lot of First Nation-led conferences in forestry," said Watts. "Forestry right now is struggling, and I think envisioning opportunities for our nations to collaborate and find ways to work together is important."
Registration for the event is open now. For more information, visit www.indigenousforestry.ca.
