Panel urges more Aboriginal involvement in forestry

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Forestry researchers, industry representatives and Aboriginal leaders gathered on Oct. 5 to address the question: "Is the industrial forestry model a viable alternative for Aboriginal North Americans?"

Delegates tackled the huge question during a morning workshop at the annual general meeting and convention of the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Society of American Foresters, a five-day event at the Shaw Conference Centre.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss the increasing involvement of North American Aboriginal people in the forest industry and alternatives to enable Aboriginal people to participate in modern forestry practices.

All panelists are members of the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN), a non-profit research organization based at the University of Alberta. Harry Bombay of the National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA), Jim Webb of the Little Red River Cree Nation and Barry Waito, chair of Louisiana-Pacific Canada Limited are members of the SFMN board of directors. Peggy Smith of Lakehead University and Cliff Hickey of the University of Alberta are researchers for the SFMN. No federal or provincial government representatives were willing to join the panel, said Hickey, the panel host.

Since 1991, Aboriginal people had become three times more involved in forestry than the general population, said Hickey. Combine that fact with the Supreme Court of Canada's recent history of decisions that support Aboriginal people's involvement in natural resource development in the country, and Aboriginal issues in forestry management become pressing concerns.

Lack of government consideration towards Aboriginal issues in forestry policy making was one area of concern among the panelists present. All agreed that government and industry must involve Aboriginal people more at the front end of negotiations. Current policy making trends tend to exclude Aboriginal people, despite the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that the Crown and industry consult with Aboriginal people to accommodate their rights.

A lack of government recognition of Aboriginal peoples tenure agreements in Canadian forestry management is another bone of contention. A tenure system allocates public resources to private parties.

"My position is that Aboriginal tenure underlies any ownership the Crown may assert," said Smith.

One of the recommended solutions is for governments and industry to adopt Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.

"FSC is the only certification process that recognizes the tenure system," said Bombay.

Under principle number three, Indigenous peoples rights, FSC requires: Indigenous consent and control of their land; recognition of resource or tenure rights; protection of spiritual, cultural, ecological and economic value of land; and formal compensation for the application of traditional knowledge.

However, getting governments to adopt FSC standards may prove difficult. When First Nations go to governments with their concerns, the federal and provincial governments are "passing the buck" to each other, said Smith. Confusion stems from the federal government's responsibility to address land claim issues and the provincial governments' responsibility to deal with natural resources. This jurisdictional rift shifts the buck to private industry, said Hickey.

Barry Waito, the industry representative on the panel, noted that industry often finds itself at odds with Aboriginal peoples and governments. He defended industry saying that it is looking for ways to be responsible.

Waito expressed concern that there are not many trained Aboriginal people in the forestry industry and therefore the private companies do not completely understand Aboriginal issues or the science. Aboriginal science, noted Waito, is a different paradigm than the science industry works with.

Again, Bombay suggested FSC standards as a solution.

"I would like to suggest that companies who wantto accommodate Aboriginal people use FSC," said Bombay.

In response Waito said, "It is the individual company's prerogative to go after any certification they require."

Another problem highlighted by the panelists is that First Nation reserves are too small to begin or sustain any economic development in the forest industry. Waito believes that on top of the missing capital, the biggest barrier is that First Nation forestry products have less value. Aboriginal products typically include non-timber forest products, such as medicines, oils, food and other fibres that the forest industry has historically ignored. First Nations also have limited access to timber products because of the current tenure system. Smith argued that the current approach to break these barriers, through short-term quotas or licenses, or joint ventures with industry, is inadequate.

Within the industrial forestry model, Aboriginal people are expected to fit into an established mold with little consent or consultation, Smith explained.

Webb said "We work in the industrial forest model ... but given the opportunity to change that model, we will." Currently, the Little Red River Cree Nation supplies timber to paper mills from the tree-cutting rights they hold in areas west and south of Wood Buffalo National Park.

"If you give Aboriginals tenure and opportunity, you would have a model that will have a smaller footprint [on the planet]," said Webb, implying that an Aboriginal-instituted model would be more environmentally responsible than the current industrial forest model.

Webb, on the board for FSC on behalf of NAFA, noted that, "There are so few First Nations with the resources to focus efforts on our own standard." Until a time comes where this is possible, he argued that the best tools available should be used. "From my perspective, this is FSC."