Aboriginal Engagement in Forestry

Despite the downturn in the economy and its devastating impact on the forestry sector, the housing market is rebounding, and the future is looking good. That matters to the Aboriginal labour market: employment in the forestry sector represents an important career option for the young and rapidly growing Aboriginal population.

The key question: how can the forestry sector recruit and retain Aboriginal workers?

Stonecircle's Jennifer David has been working for the past few months with Allister Hain at the Forest Products Sector Council (FPSC) on an extensive Aboriginal Engagement and Inclusion Report and Strategy. The first report profiled Aboriginal people in the forestry sector, and revealed some interesting trends:

• more people work in logging and support activities; 
• the most common occupations are laborers and forestry workers;
• more Aboriginal people are studying engineering as a way to enter the sector. 

The report also profiled more than 50 promising practices in forestry to engage Aboriginal people. Some of the most notable include ECOTRUST, Envirothon, BC First Nations Forestry Council, numerous joint ventures and First Nation forestry companies (like Two Feathers Forest Products and Niigaani Enterprises).

The Sector Council also held a number of regional sessions on the topic of Aboriginal engagement. Stonecircle amalgamated and consolidated the regional reports into a national synthesis report. And finally, the Sector Council held a national roundtable earlier this year. Jennifer David attended the session, spoke with many people working in the sector and prepared a strategic options and recommendations document for the Sector Council. A list of recommendations was presented to the FPSC Board of Directors earlier this month, for implementation later this year and next year.