Stronger communities. Together.

Situated in the central interior of British Columbia (BC), Quesnel is a vibrant community situated on the confluence of the Quesnel River, Fraser River, and Baker Creek. Quesnel is located halfway between the cities of Prince George and Williams Lake and is on the main route to northern BC and the Yukon. It is the largest urban center between Prince George and Kamloops, with a surrounding population of over 23,000[1].

Quesnel is one of the most forestry dependent communities in the province, with over 1,500 direct jobs dependent on the sector. Historically, Quesnel has played a vital role as a supply center for northern exploration and resource extraction, with deep roots in the forest industry dating back to the gold rush in the 1860s. Today, forestry continues to be the leading industry in the community.

Significant uncertainty and challenges in traditional forest management, however, exist in the area due to mid-term timber supply challenges, sweeping forest policy changes, and the impacts of large-scale ecosystem disturbances such as recent wildfires and the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) epidemic. Considering these current challenges in the forest sector, a community-held area-based tenure represents the path forward for Quesnel. Smaller tenures offer the opportunity for strategic alliances and collaborative land management to create a competitive fiber market and provide volume for a variety of economic opportunities that enhance the value of our forest resources.

Through collaborative land management, the Lhtako Dene, Nazko, ?Esdilagh, and Lhoosk’uz Dene Nation Governments along with the City of Quesnel can employ innovative and sustainable forest management practices that support community values and ecosystem resiliency. These partner communities have proposed the Three Rivers Community Forest (TRCF) to provide long-term opportunities for achieving a range of community objectives, values, and priorities. Under a community forest agreement, our communities can perform activities such as integrated fuel management to reduce wildfire risk, ensure ecosystem resiliency through innovative forest management, collaborate on trails and other recreation initiatives, integrate First Nations traditional and ecological knowledge into land management, and uphold economic diversification that supports a thriving local economy. Ultimately, a community forest enables strategic alliances and collaborative land management that will promote greater community resiliency and stability as we aim to realize additional resources and value from the land base.