The Cortes Forestry General Partnership (CFGP) hosted its first consultation with the community in regards to the Anvil Lake area on June 18.

This specific consultation was the first community discussion to navigate the possibility of building an access road for long term logging and conservation efforts.

The CFGP is a partnership that consists of the Klahoose First Nation and the Cortes Community Forest Coop. The partnership holds logging licenses on what is currently Crown land. 

It has come to light that the five year plan the CFGP had been following would have to be adapted. The Klahoose First Nation is in the midst of treaty negotiations, meaning some of the land under the partnership with Klahoose may no longer be included, once a treaty is established. As a result, the Coop is adapting their five year plan, and beginning the community consultation process to develop new logging operation proposals.

Local Cortes Islanders observe the forest in the Anvil Lake region, proposed for logging activities by the Cortes Forestry General Partnership(CFGP). Photo by Loni Taylor.

Around 20 people gathered at the old large culverts by the Main Road highway shed. Bruce Ellingsen, a member of the Coop, spoke to the group, including many young people. Mark Lombard, operations manager of the CFGP, then began the tour with a map review. The tour was over two hours long and included various stops where logging roadway options were discussed.

“There's no areas identified that will harvest first. It's all being considered in this community discussion,” Lombard said.

“The whole point of the community forest is that these 3,800 hectares, they'd be allocated to another kind of licensee if it wasn't the community forest,” he added.

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