Into the Woods: Engaging Aboriginal People in Forestry

Forestry is an important sector in Canada's Aboriginal economy, as a source of both industry and jobs. Stonecircle has been working for the past year with the Forest Products Sector Council on a number of projects relating to Aboriginal people in forestry.

It began with an analysis by Christian Cloutier, who combed the most current data available in the sector to develop a picture Aboriginal engagement in forestry. For the most, Aboriginal people are engaged in logging and support activities, and within those occupations, they are most likely to be labourers or silviculture and forestry workers.

We then researched and presented a list of more than 60 promising practices of Aboriginal forestry initiatives. Examples include

• youth initiatives like Envirothon, where First Nation students compete on knowledge of forestry and wildlife and win prizes
• companies like Coast Tsimsian Resources, a major economic driver in the region with rights and ability to harvest and sell wood, 
• a promising First Nations initiative at the University of British Columbia to train forest professionals.

Our research, plus the the findings from regional engagement sessions and a national symposium, resulted in a strategic document that the Forest Products Sector Council will use to frame its future plans and strategies. The draft strategy report is currently being reviewed by a FPSC working group; Stonecircle will finalize the report in the fall.