Choose forest careers

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The National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA) is encouraging Aboriginal youth to consider forestry careers.

The association is targeting youth in at attempt to address the current shortage of Aboriginal people involved in management of forest resources.

"Based on the numbers that we have, there are 12,000 people who are professional forest workers in the country, and out of this number we are counting anywhere from 60 to 80 workers who are Aboriginal," said Lorraine Rekmans, executive director of NAFA. "We've got 600 First Nations communities across the country and 80 per cent of them are located in the forest, so that means we have to respond to what we see."

Part of that response has been development of Careers in Forestry, a 23-minute-long CD-ROM presentation designed to show what the forestry industry has to offer.

The new CD-ROM is part of a campaign aimed at Aboriginal youth that began in 2003.

"We want them to know that a career in forestry is not just about logging, planting trees or harvesting trees," Rekmans said.

The CD-ROM includes interviews with people who attended the World Forestry Congress in Quebec City in September 2003.

"There is definitely a whole focus on Indigenous people and their rights in sustainable development at the international level, through UN efforts and in Indigenous peoples' forums. Forestry policy is all about how can we harvest in a sustainable way, how we can cut trees without damaging the environment and how we can protect traditional values. So that is why we are encouraging involvement at a professional level," she said.

For more information call NAFA at (613) 233-5563 or e-mail the association at nafa@web.ca, or visit the NAFA Web site at www.nafaforestry.org.