B.C. forestry companies have agreed to follow Indigenous protocols pertaining to large cultural cedars set by a B.C. Indigenous Council.

Several firms, including Western Forest Products Inc. and Interfor, as well as BC Timber Sales have indicated their intention to abide by traditional laws outlined in 鈥淟arge Cultural Cedar (LCC)Operation Protocol,鈥� according to a statement from the Nanwakolas Council.

The council consists of five First Nations members 鈥揗amalilikulla, Tlowitsis, Da鈥檔axda鈥檟w Awaetlala, Wei Wai Kum, and K鈥檕虂moks 鈥� with traditional territories on northern Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland.

The LCC Protocol outlines policies and procedures for those seeking to carry out forestry activities and secure permits to harvest timber in these Nations鈥� territories. It aims to protect culturally important large cedars 鈥� which are at risk from 鈥渓arge scale鈥� logging 鈥� under traditional laws and jurisdiction.

Large, high quality red and yellow cedars 鈥� also known as 鈥榯ree of life鈥欌�� are used extensively by First Nations for cultural practices such as carving dugout canoes, totem poles and traditional buildings.

When it became difficult to find cedar trees suitable enough for our cultural needs, we decided to make some rules ourselves for the remaining trees in our territories, said Dallas Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council.

鈥淭his way we make sure we have access to these type of trees going into the future for our current and future generations,鈥� he said.

Explaining the workings of the protocol further Smith said that based on the dimensions outlined, if any tree is determined as an LCC by the First Nation it is off-limits for logging.

鈥淭he protocol just put up a set of rules that needs to be followed when trees of certain dimensions are found and how we鈥檙e going to manage them going forward,鈥� he said.

In a statement, Nanwakolas Council called this agreement by members of B.C.鈥檚 forestry industry a 鈥渢railblazing move towards improved relationships between Indigenous peoples and the industry.鈥�

鈥淣anwakolas Council has worked with the forestry industry for many years to help them better understand how the First Nations make resource management decisions, and in turn to understand the economic and other impacts on forestry activities of complying with Nanwakolas First Nations鈥� laws,鈥� they said.

Smith, also said that the commitment by these forestry companies represents 鈥渇undamental change for the better for everyone.鈥�

鈥淭he Protocol supports culturally important activities and increased environmental integrity, but not at the cost of economic certainty. Compliance with it will make things better not only for our communities, but regionally and for the province as a whole,鈥� said Smith.

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