Fort Nelson Community Forest to receive part of $1 million investment

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Northeast BC forests will receive $1 million in funds for enhancement projects from the provincial government.

Fort Nelson Community Forest, which will receive a portion of those funds, is a joint venture between the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) and Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN).  

Ravi Parmar, minister of forests, made the announcement on Thursday, April 24th at the BC First Nations Forestry Council’s (FNFC) conference in Penticton, according to a press release.

The area was hammered with forest fires in 2024, which included a full-scale evacuation of the town last May. 

The money announced will go toward waste wood utilization, including “funding to support additional wildfire reduction work west of the community of Fort Nelson,” and money to “assist in the movement of fire-damaged pulp logs from the Fort Nelson Community Forest near Fort Nelson to a central distribution site.”

The salvaged wood will later be moved to a Canfor mill in Prince George, according to the release.

“Mitigating wildfire risk and creating a more fire-ready landscape is essential,” said FNFC chief executive officer Lennard Joe.  

“I am grateful for our First Nations contractors, whose capacity and readiness position them to lead this important work and help move the province forward in a good way.” 

The Fort Nelson Community Forest includes the timber supply area, the second largest in the province covering some 9.9 million hectares located entirely in the boreal forest, according to its website. 

In total, 64 projects will be receiving a portion of $20 million in funding. 

Of the 64, 70 per cent – or 45 projects – are either led or have significant contributions from Indigenous organizations.

Energeticcity.ca reached out to FNFC for more information, for example about the specific grant allocated to the Fort Nelson project, but FNFC did not immediately respond. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

More details can be found at the press release below: