Kootenay Lake residents are being asked to provide input to help shape future forest management decisions through a new planning process covering 1.2 million hectares of Crown land.
According to the province, feedback gathered through a public survey and a series of community events throughout July and August will help inform the development of the Kootenay Lake Forest Landscape Plan (FLP).
The FLP is being created in partnership with several First Nations and is intended to guide forestry activities across the Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area.
The survey opened June 22 and closes in late August. Information sessions and public engagement events are also planned in Nelson, Creston and Kaslo throughout the summer.
The planning area stretches from the Canada-U.S. border north toward Glacier National Park and includes the communities of Nelson, Creston and Kaslo.
The province said the creation of FLPs marks a shift to a broader focus on landscape-level planning. It said FLPs will provide a consistent approach across entire timber supply areas and will consider a “more holistic view” of forest ecosystems and values.
Unlike Forest Stewardship Plans, which are developed by individual forest licence holders, the province said forest landscape plans establish management direction across an entire timber supply area.
The plans are intended to support biodiversity, ecosystem health, watershed protection and wildfire resilience while also reflecting Indigenous and community values.
The Kootenay Lake FLP is currently in the values identification and assessment phase, which focuses on determining what local communities value most in forest ecosystems and identifying priorities for future management.
The phase will also focus on establishing a governance structure for the process, co-ordinating activities and technical and advisory groups, identifying information gaps, documenting current forest management practices related to planning values and delivering a values matrix and current-condition report.
The process is being developed jointly by the province and representatives from yaqan nuʔkiy, the Shuswap Band, Adams Lake Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw and the Ktunaxa Nation Council Society.
The province said feedback gathered during the current engagement period will help inform later phases of planning, with the final plan expected to be established in 2028.
The survey is available online.
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