Community Forests for Rural Development

The forest industry plays a significant role in
many communities in Canada. One model
of forest management is that of community
forests. “A community forest is decisions
being made by people who have to live
with the outcome; finding local solutions
to contentious issues; keeping benefits in
the community; a very good idea; and one
of the hardest things I have ever done,”
says professional forester John Cathro.
The concept of the community forest has
been around in British Columbia since
1945, when Mission Municipal Forest was
established, but it wasn’t until 1998 that
the Forest Act was amended to allow for
Community Forest Agreements (BCCFA,
2010).