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By Victor Kaisar

Federal Forestry Funding

Several Kamloops-area forestry projects and studies getting federal funding

Apr 6, 2025 | 2:11 PM

KAMLOOPS — The federal government is contributing nearly $185,000 towards a Kamloops-area study that will aim to to determine whether rehabilitating an area damaged by wildfires can provide an economic opportunity through carbon credits.

The money is part of $20 million that the federal government will be spending on 67 projects to “help boost the competitiveness and resiliency of British Columbia’s forest sector.”

“Canada’s forest industry is vital not only to our economy but also to the global market,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a March 19 news release.

“Protecting this key natural resource is essential to securing the future of our economy and ensuring growth, resilience and sustainability, both at home and abroad.”

The Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society will get $184,355 to assess the economic feasibility of funding forest rehabilitation in areas damaged by the Tremont, Sparks, and Young Lake wildfires.

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Elsewhere, Tolko Industries will get $400,000 for more research into a finger jointing process for parallel laminated veneer products produced as its mill in Heffley Creek, or “an alternative suitable Tolko facility in British Columbia.”

The Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band will get $137,000 to determine whether it can acquire an area-based forest tenure in the region, while the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band is getting $69,414 to develop a new strategic plan for forest resource decisions within its traditional territory.

Skeetchestn Natural Resources is also getting $200,000 to build and operate new facility in Savona that will produce timber for Skeetchestn Dodeca Homes.

In Merritt, the Shackan Indian Band is getting $119,000 to relocate and expand its native plant nursery, while the Foothills First Nation is getting 50,000 to develop a forestry management plan.

More details about the Kamloops-area projects being funded can be found below, via a Federal Government released backgrounder:

Project Name: Parallel Laminated Venee Finger Jointed Panel Development – Study Phase
Recipient: Tolko Industries Ltd.
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $400,000
Project Summary: The proponent conducted additional research for product development and testing for final product certification to support future commercialization of a finger jointing process for 1-3/4″ x 4′ x 48′ products for the industrial parallel laminated veneer (PLV) and structural laminated veneer lumber (LVL) market at the proponent’s Heffley Creek plywood/veneer manufacturing facility located in Kamloops, British Columbia, or an alternative suitable Tolko facility in British Columbia. The proponent is a major producer and marketer of lumber, plywood, veneer, oriented strand board and kraft paper with manufacturing operations across western Canada. The project will help support ongoing First Nation business relationships with partners who manage, sell and trade timber with Tolko. The project had a positive impact with the Indigenous community as it led to the creation of many jobs, increasing employment opportunities for Indigenous workers. The project maximized the value obtained from existing forest operations by creating higher-value structural LVL products in Canada compared to exporting raw materials.

Project Name: Little Shuswap Lake Band Land Based Tenure Acquisition
Recipient: Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band
Location: Chase, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $137,000
Project Summary: In order to investigate establishing and acquiring an area-based forest tenure in the region, this project will complete community engagement, assessments and reviews to determine the economic and environmental viability of that region as a tenure for the Little Shuswap Nation.

Project Name: Cook’s Ferry Indian Band Forestry Strategic Planning
Recipient: Cook’s Ferry Indian Band
Location: Spences Bridge, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $69,414
Project Summary: This project will develop a strategic plan to guide forest resource decisions within the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band traditional territory by assessing resources, identifying economic and employment opportunities and informing tenure discussions with the Province of British Columbia.

Project Name: Economic Feasibility Study to Determine if Rehabilitating the Tremont or Sparks or Young Lake Wildfire Area Will Provide an Economic Opportunity Through Carbon Credits
Recipient: Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $184,355
Project Summary: This project will enable the Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society to strengthen collaboration among Secwépemc communities, build restoration capacity and assess the economic feasibility of funding wildfire-affected forest rehabilitation through marketable carbon credits.

Project Name: Forest Management Plan – Forest Sector Training Initiative
Recipient: Foothills First Nation
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: This project will initiate a multi-year effort to develop a forestry management plan for Foothills First Nation, supporting land-use planning, forestry practices, long-term management and reforestation.

Project Name: Skeetchestn Forest Products
Recipient: Skeetchestn Natural Resources
Location: Savona, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $200,000
Project Summary: The proponent will build and operate a new forest products facility that will result in a higher-production system with increased safety features. The proponent will need to modify the existing value-added facility to accommodate larger equipment, increased production and other associated requirements. The facility produces timbers for Skeetchestn Dodeca Homes for its line of ready-to-assemble post-and-beam housing kits — a value-added use of forest resources to address critical housing shortages in First Nations and rural communities across Canada.

Project Name: Shackan Nursery Relocation/Expansion
Recipient: Shackan Indian Band
Location: Merritt, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $119,000
Project Summary: The objective of this project is to relocate and expand the native plant nursery to diversify the local economy, increase environmental stewardship and independently fulfil growing contracts.

Project Name: Boothroyd Strategic Revegetation Management
Recipient: Boothroyd Indian Band
Location: Boston Bar, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $106,346
Project Summary: The project will support the strategic revegetation and management of the wildfire-impacted Nahatlatch watershed by stabilizing slopes, reducing runoff, restoring fish habitat and training resource workers in drone use and mapping for territorial assessment and management.

Project Name: Tsilhqot’in National Government Forestry Strategic Action Plan Development Project
Recipient: Tsilhqot’in National Government
Location: Williams Lake, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $105,765
Project Summary: The project objective is to develop the Tŝilhqot’in Nation Forestry Strategic Action Plan that will show a path on how the Tŝilhqot’in National Government and its six Tŝilhqot’in communities can continue to be united by working together on shared forestry goals in the next five years by collaborating with all levels of governments on forestry management challenges and opportunities while ensuring our six Tsilhqot’in forestry businesses remain working in forestry, which employs indigenous and local forestry workers.