Commercial Forestry

VISION FOR COMMERCIAL FORESTRY:

 

Internationally acclaimed community-based forest management supporting commercial forestry partnerships led by our First Nation and guided by our Elders, where the forest as an indigenous cultural landscape with its cover, biodiversity, and remoteness, is maintained over time to sustain Pikangikum culture and environment and renew our economy. Forestry in the Planning Area will provide primary economic benefits to Beekahncheekahmeeng paymahteeseewahch and will contribute to the forest economy of Ontario.

 

DETERMINING NEW ENTERPRISE OPPORTUNITIES IN COMMERCIAL FORESTRY:

 

It is our intention to sustain the Whitefeather Forest and to harmonize customary land uses with new opportunities such as commercial forestry. Our resource stewardship tradition is providing the foundation for this as we have always harmonized our customary activities in the Whitefeather to the cycles of the forest. For example, when our conifer forests become old and ready for renewal, lightning comes to the land to bring fire. The old forest is killed and the new forest is born. When the renewed forest is young, many animals like pine marten and caribou go away. We have always harmonized our trapping to account for this renewal. This is what we will do when we start new livelihood activities including forestry in the Whitefeather Forest.

 

It is also our intention to design new uses, such as commercial forestry, in a way that is consistent with our resource stewardship tradition. This applies from access to harvesting to renewing the forest. Our Elders teach that they have techniques which we will be able to use to achieve this. They will guide us to renew the forest respecting the way the Creator made the timber to live. Our Elders have many important teachings about the relationship of Thunderbird Fire to the life cycle of the Whitefeather Forest that we will be able to use in our forest management practices. Our customary resource stewardship practices will be joined with the best of non-native forest management practices to achieve this.

 

It is also our intention to design new uses, such as commercial forestry, in a way that is consistent with our resource stewardship tradition. This applies from access to harvesting to renewing the forest. Our Elders teach that they have techniques which we will be able to use to achieve this. They will guide us to renew the forest respecting the way the Creator made the timber to live. Our Elders have many important teachings about the relationship of Thunderbird Fire to the life cycle of the Whitefeather Forest that we will be able to use in our forest management practices. Our customary resource stewardship practices will be joined with the best of non-native forest management practices to achieve this.