Learning from community forestry experience: Challenges and lessons from British Columbia

Abstract

A multiple case study approach is used to investigate community forest implementation challenges in British Columbia, Canada. Stakeholder interviews, document review and visits to the case sites (Denman Island, Malcolm Island, Cortes Island and Creston) were used to collect data on events occurring between 1990 and 2005. In addition to case-specific challenges, our analysis confirmed common challenges related to a lack of support, consensus, and organizational resources as well as poor forest health and timber profiles, resistance from conventional forest management, and competition for land and tenures. Development pressure emerged as a challenge for communities without land use decisionmaking authority. The final section offers some lessons and recommendations.Key words: community forest, community forestry, forest management, community-based natural resource management, local control, challenges, case studies RÉSUMÉUne approche d' études de cas multiples est utilisée pour étudier les défis découlant de l'implantation de forêts communautaires en Colombie-Britannique, Canada. Nous avons effectué des entrevues auprès des intervenants, une revue des documents et des visites sur le terrain (Denman Island, Malcolm Island, Cortes Island et Creston) afin de recueillir des données sur les événements survenus entre 1990 et 2005. En plus des défis spécifiques à chaque cas, notre analyse a confirmé des défis communs reliés à la faiblesse des appuis, à un consensus mitigé et un manque de ressources organisationnelles ainsi qu'un mauvais état de santé des forêts et une pauvre répartition de la qualité au niveau des tiges, à la résistance par rapport à l'aménagement forestier conventionnel et à la compétition pour l'utilisation du territoire et la forme de tenure. Les communautés n'ayant pas d'autorité en matière de prise de décision sur l'utilisation du territoire ont connu l' émergence de défis face à des pressions de développement. La dernière section présente quelques leçons et recommandations.

Community forest organizations and adaptation to climate change in British Columbia

“…Run by voluntary boards for the benefit of the whole community, CFOs could play a lead role in helping forest-dependent communities in BC adapt to climate change by improving the adoption of adaptation strategies Innes 2009, Chapin et al 2010). However, research also shows that communities and organizations vary widely in their ability to adapt to changing conditions, and that community forests are far from a panacea (Bradshaw 2003, Reed and McIlveen 2006, Bullock and Hanna 2007, Bullock et al 2009). …”

“…This wide range of expectations has been criticized as unrealistic and undeliverable (Bradshaw 2003), indeed, community forests are expected to provide for many different and competing needs, including those of government, industry, community and First Nations stakeholders (Bullock et al 2009). Community forests also actively attempt the incorporation of different worldviews and different types of knowledge into their management of forest ecosystems, something that to a great extent is not expected from their competitors in the forest industry.…”

“…Community forests in BC are charged with a myriad of responsibilities, amongst them creating employment, the development of value-added products and non-timber forest products; conflict mitigation and resolution over ecosystem services, environmental stewardship, and valuable environmental resources; the sharing of First Nations traditional territories and areas under negotiation as part of treaty negotiations; as well as increasing community empowerment, implementing ecosystem-based forestry, and the restoration of community links with the environment (Bullock et al 2009, Berkes 2010. This wide range of expectations has been criticized as unrealistic and undeliverable (Bradshaw 2003), indeed, community forests are expected to provide for many different and competing needs, including those of government, industry, community and First Nations stakeholders (Bullock et al 2009).…”

Are community forestry principles at work in Ontario’s County, Municipal, and Conservation Authority forests?

“…McCarthy (2006: 84) describes the CFAL as a "comparatively strong form of control over public forests". However, others describe challenges with program design and implementation, such as a mismatch between the regulatory framework and local conditions, unclear management rights, and a lack of provincial financial and technical support for communities (Bullock et al 2009, McIlveen and Bradshaw 2009, Ambus and Hoberg 2011. Ambus et al (2007) describe the BC community forests thus far as having limited success in differentiating themselves from conventional forestry companies through pursuit of value-added processing or non-timber forest products.…”

“…Academic research looking at community forestry is also flourishing. There is an increasing number of studies looking at the case of British Columbia and the implications of a recent community-based tenure created there (e.g., McCarthy 2006, Reed and McIlveen 2006, Bullock et al 2009, Ambus and Hoberg 2011. Research is also emerging in Quebec, where a grassroots movement has existed for decades (Chiasson et al 2005, Gélinas andBouthillier 2005).…”