The Village of Midway and City of Greenwood are the newest recipients of a community forest agreement, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced last week after meeting with both local governments at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities annual convention.
The West Boundary community forest agreement will have an allowable annual cut of 23,000 cubic metres per year and an initial term of 25 years. The agreement area covers about 17,760 hectares around the City of Greenwood and Village of Midway in the Boundary region.
West Boundary Community Forest Inc. is jointly owned by the Village of Midway and City of Greenwood. In addition to preserving local recreation trails, the community forest will also be used to train local high school students in forestry. Community forest agreements are long-term, area-based tenures designed to encourage community involvement in, and management of, local forests. Greenwood Mayor Nipper Kettle said, “I am very pleased the City of Greenwood is partnering with our neighbour Midway in this community forest venture. This will further entrench our relationship as friends and neighbours and add to our economy, providing jobs and educational opportunities in the forest sector.”
Mayor Randy Kappes of Midway was quoted, “I’m looking forward to the opportunities that the new community forest will provide to our community. We will have a much larger role to play within our area’s major industry, forestry. One way we intend to influence forestry is by partnering with the local high school and provide training opportunities in forestry for future generations.”
Since 2004, the province has signed over 50 community forest agreements with a total allowable annual cut of 1.3 million cubic metres of timber a year.