Community Forests for Rural Development

by Patricia Macklin

The forest industry plays a significant role in many communities in Canada. One model of forest management is that of community forests. “A community forest is decisions being made by people who have to live with the outcome; finding local solutions to contentious issues; keeping benefits in the community; a very good idea; and one of the hardest things I have ever done,” says professional forester John Cathro. The concept of the community forest has been around in British Columbia since 1945, when Mission Municipal Forest was established, but it wasn’t until 1998 that the Forest Act was amended to allow for Community Forest Agreements (BCCFA, 2010).

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