Documentation:Open Case Studies/FRST522/2021/Exploring the relationship between The Katzie first nation and forest management

This conservation resource was created by Course:FRST522.

Abstract

Forest management plays an essential role in sustainable development, providing substances and ecosystem functions for human beings and contributing greatly to targeting sustainable development goals. And community-based forest management is an effective method to engage indegenous people and local communities ( IPLCs) to manage natural resources, because community forestry is more about self-reliance, local control, and greater participation by communities and First Nations in the management of the land and the benefits offered by local forest resources.This page ia mainly about the relationship between the Katzie first nation in BC, Canada and forest management, including the basic information about their community forestry , the tenue or agreements and the institutional structure they have now, and how many social actors involved in and how are they connected with the Katzie first nation to achieve the multi-dimensional targets.

Introduction of Katzie community

Location

The Katzie First Nation is located east of greater Vancouver, in the South West portion of BC. A part of the Coast Salish tradition and Mainland Halkomelem language group, Katzie currently have 618 registered individuals and five reserves, which are located in Pitt Meadows, Langley, Barnston Island, Coquitlam, and Maple Ridgewith. Their Band Offices situated along the north banks of the Fraser River in the community of Pitt Meadows.

Katzie traditional territory encompasses the Pitt Lake watershed in the north, including Alouette Lake to the east, and extending south to comprise portions of the Fraser River and the communities of Ladner and White Rock. The northern portions of Katzie traditional territory include portions of Golden Ears and Garibaldi Provincial parks and extensive forested Crown lands beyond park boundaries.

To date, Katzie have little management control of forests falling outside of their reserves. Through treaty negotiations, consultation activities and application for a community forest tenure, the community hopes to increase their influence over forests lying in Katzie traditional territory. Specifically, Katzie hope to establish a community forest at Blue Mountain and Douglas Provincial Forests, in the north-east portion of their traditional territory.

Tenure and Agreement Arrangements

FRA or FCRSAs

Katzie signed a Forest and Range Agreement (FRA) with the province of British Columbia in 2005. The volume-based agreement includes rights to 13890 m3 of annual timber harvest per year and a revenue sharing agreement for timber extracted from Katzie territory.

Forest Consultation and Revenue Sharing Agreement (FCRSAs) provide First Nations communities with economic benefits returning directly to their community based on harvest activities in their asserted traditional territories.The purposes and objectives of this Agreement are:

(a) to establish a consultation process through which the Parties will meet their respective consultation obligations in relation to potential adverse impacts of proposed forest and range resource development activities, including Administrative and/or Operational Decisions or Operational Plans, on Katzie First Nation's Aboriginal Interests;

(b) to provide a Revenue Sharing Contribution to support the capacity of the First Nation to participate in the consultation process, as an accommodation for any adverse impacts to Katzie First Nation's Aboriginal Interests resulting from forest and range resource development within the Traditional Territory;

(c) to assist in achieving stability and greater certainty for forest and range resource development on Crown lands within the Traditional Territory.

The First Nations Woodland License

K&K Forestry Operations Ltd., representing the Katzie first nation and the Kwantlen first nation, got the First Nations Woodland License#N2Z on August, 6, 2019, which covers 5955.045ha and the AAC is 17000m³.

First Nations woodland licences are an area-based, long term forest tenure unique to First Nations. First Nations woodland licences recognize First Nations' asserted land and resource interests, including the protection of traditional-use practices and the harvest and management of non-timber forest products. This long-term and area-based tenure allows First Nations to:

• Have an increased role in forest stewardship
• Protect traditional uses
• Manage forest and land use in the area
• Improve their ability to secure investment and loans

Community Forest Agreement

For the application for Community Forest Agreement, the Katzie treaty table is in on Stage 4 Agreement in Principle negotiations.

Institutional/Administrative Arrangements

The band office

Their band office is located in 10946 Katzie Road, Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. The chief is Grace George, and they have three councillors, they are Rick Bailey, Peter James, David Kenworthy.

Katzie Community Forest Operation

The community forest operation focus on five aspects: 1. Harvesting 2. Education 3. First Nation Garden 4. Recreation 5. NTFPs. A strong connection to the land is an integral part of Katzie culture. The Katzie desire a community forest to help renew their connection with the land since separation due to colonization occurred. A community forest will allow them to manage both Forest resources (medicinal plants) and commercial resources (timber). It will also allow the Katzie to establish a presence on the land. The community forest has cultural, economic, and educational benefits to the Katzie First Nation. This involvement in the land and resources will help the Katzie in their treaty negotiations.

The KCF will recover initial investments and capital costs to become a profitable business. This profit will be returned to the community to help increase the opportunities available to the Katzie people. The KCF strives to enhance the services provided by the community forest to the people, including timber, recreation, non-timber forest products, education and employment. Employing First Nations members will increase involvement, environmental responsibility, education, and provide income opportunities to the community.

The KCF has a plan to foster community development while sustainably managing forest land for timber, NTFPs and cultural values. Education and culture will be fostered through the management of a First Nations Garden. Sustainable management of timber and non-timber forest products is highly valued. Recreation is a key factor in the community forest and will be managed to benefit the Katzie people and the surrounding communities more in the future.

K&K Forestry Operations Ltd.

K&K Forestry Operations Ltd is the cooperation enterprise by the katzie first nation and the Kwantlen first nation. They got their First Nation Woodland Licence #N2Z (K&K FNWL #N2Z) on 2019. The Management Plan is intended to incorporate the following:

• Integrated resource management

• Management goals and strategies

• Higher-level plans and applicable legislation governing forest stewardship on the area

• Methodologies used by the licensee holder to meet these objectives

• Opportunities and challenges within the First Nations Woodland Licence (FNWL) area.

Cultural Management Area: Management of Cultural Values is of the utmost importance to the Katzie and Kwantlen Communities. A 400ha Cultural Management Area (CMA) has been established near Alouette Lake. The objective of the CMA is to provide an easily accessible, long term supply of Cultural Trees, Plants, and Sites for the Katzie and Kwantlen First Nation Communities, particularly for Elders.

Blue Mountain Light Touch Area: The Blue Mountain Area, located in close proximity to a large, urban interface, receives significant use from a number of groups - hikers, dog walkers, field naturalists, mountain bikers, off-road vehicles, First Nations and equestrians. Because of the significant public use, and proximity to a large urban interface, K&K Forestry Operations Ltd. has created a ‘Light Touch Area’ on Blue Mountain. The objective is to control the level of harvesting in the Light Touch Area to minimize impacts to these other uses of the area.

BC Timber Sales: K&K Forestry Operations Ltd. has entered into an agreement with BC Timber Sales (BCTS). The agreement incorporates BCTS Chart Area (East Alouette operating area) into the FNWL, opens up an additional operating area within the FNWL for BCTS, and sets a Reserve Volume of 5000m3/yr.

Legislation and Legal Orders Content Requirements: K&K FNWL #N2Z resource management on the FNWL area must meet government objectives, as defined in the current Legislation and Legal Orders. Government Legislation and Legal Orders applicable to K&K FNWL #N2Z are expected to be amended over time. K&K FNWL #N2Z will be consistent with the legislation, regulations, and government orders that are in place at the time Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) #643 is approved, or as enabled in legislation at a future date.

Social Actors

Social actors who are affected stakeholders

Social actors(affected)	How connected	Objectives	Power
The Katzie community forest ( or the band)	Representative of community	Sustainable management	Dominant right, decision-making
Community members	Right holders	Livelihood improvement and sustainable management of forests	Vote for band members and influencers of management
The Kwantlen first nation	Cooperation relationship	Make best use of the resources	Management of K&K Forestry Operations Ltd.
Other user groups (hikers, dog walkers, etc)	Affected by the regulation of CF	Recreational functions	Maintaining the environment

Social actors who are interested stakeholders, from outside of the community

Social actors (outside)	How connected	Objectives	Power
City of Pitt Meadows	Three collaborative agreements( more detail below)	See more Katzie culture reflected around Pitt Meadows; Establish institutional continuity from Council-to- Council meetings, and; Build and renew relationships	Cooperation: Renewed water and sewer agreements, a renewed fire agreement, and a new communications protocol
BC	Provincial government	Cooperation and support	Licenses (including CFA, first nation woodland)
UBC	Cooperation on the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (The Katzie’s territory)	Education center and sustainable management( more detail below)	Forestry research, demonstration, and education
Neighbors	Overlapping territory	Mutual assistance	Social influence

The University of British Columbia owns and operates the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest for forestry research, demonstration, and education. Forest managers for Malcolm Knapp and Katzie First Nation administration share a strong relationship of mutual respect fostered through exchanges of information and forest goods, facilitation of student educational visits, and permission for Katzie to visit the forest. On November 26, 2009, UBC and the Katzie First Nation formalized their cooperative relationship regarding the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest through the signing of an official agreement of cooperation.

Katzie First Nation and the City of Pitt Meadows are two communities located on the banks of the Fraser River in the Lower Mainland. Over recent years the communities have taken big steps forward in building a strong relationship. In January 2016, the communities signed three collaborative agreements that marked a new approach to relationship building, cultural understanding, and communication between the communities. This new approach to collaboration has continued to grow as new leadership in the communities has made relationship building the cornerstone of their approaches to governance. The collaborative service agreement process between Katzie First Nation and the City of Pitt Meadows was guided by three objectives: See more Katzie culture reflected around Pitt Meadows; Establish institutional continuity from Council-to- Council meetings, and; Build and renew relationships. On January 27, 2016, leadership and members of Katzie First Nation and the City of Pitt Meadows gathered in the Katzie Health Centre to sign the three historic agreements: renewed water and sewer agreements, a renewed fire agreement, and a new communications protocol.

The aims and intentions of the community forestry project and assessment of relative successes or failures

Aims and intentions

The objectives of the community forest program specifically address managing for a range of community objectives including employment, forest related education and skills training and social, environmental and economic benefits, along with meeting environmental stewardship objectives, cultural protection and needs of multiple stakeholders.

Assessment of relative successes or failures

Some progresses have been made. Firstly, they have their own band office and stable governance now. Secondly, they cooperate with the Kwantlen first nation, setting up their company, K&K Forestry Operations Ltd., and got the first nation woodland license on August, 2019. In addition, Katzie signed a Forest and Range Agreement (FRA) with the province of British Columbia in 2005. The volume-based agreement includes rights to 13 890 m³ of annual timber harvest per year and a revenue sharing agreement for timber extracted from Katzie territory. Also, they have stronger relationship with the municipal government, focusing on renewed water and sewer agreements, a renewed fire agreement, and a new communications protocol. Also, their CFA is on the application process stage 4, which also is a progress.

However, the progress is quite slow. They started to apply CFA since 2010, but still on stage 4 now (total stage 6). They are a very small-scale community, including over 600 members, capacity-building for them is urgent.

Opportunities

The Katzie first nation is a relatively small community in BC, Canada, consisting of 618 members in total. Usborne found that for small communities and First Nations entering the forest business, a significant limiting factor is finding local capacity, in terms of experience, knowledge, skills and time available to learn and devote to a community forest project through her case study about the Katzie first nation. And there are few people in this community working in the forestry industry. They still have not received an area-based license owned by themselves alone so far. I assume, the main reason is the lacking of professional knowledge and experience about community forestry. In addition, Egunyu also mentioned that government influenced social learning opportunities through its community forestry policy and regulations—the participation avenues and learning opportunities and outcomes at HPCF became narrowed as the CF became more professionalized. As the CF became more professionalized, the capacity of people get limited and more discussions and measures need to be taken to improve the learning process. So I believe the government should not only audit and give the licenses to them, but also are supposed to provide appropriate capacity-building activities, such as application training, forestry management skills learning workshops, especially for less-developed communities.

Devisscher interviewed five community forestry managers about forests management, and all CF managers we interviewed aimed at lowering future climate-related risks affecting the forests by increasing their resilience, while simultaneously enhancing multiple forest values deemed important to the community. For the Katzie first nation community, same attention should be given to climate-changing related issues, like fire management, flooding, and so on, to improve the resilience of the forests.