The Squamish Community Forest hosted an open house on November 13. The event offered a space for locals to get the inside scoop on the forest’s first year of operations and share their thoughts on what’s next. In Dec. 2022, the Squamish Community Forest received a 25-year licence from the Province of British Columbia. This licence, called a Community Forest Agreement, gives them the exclusive right to harvest timber in a specific area. They are allowed to cut up to 20,000 cubic metres of timber each year. The licence can be renewed every 10 years, ensuring long-term forest management. According to Sarah Weaver, project manager for the Squamish Community Forest, the community forest operates under an area-based tenure, covering forested lands east of Squamish, including areas near Cat Lake, Garibaldi Park, and the Sea to Sky Gondola. “This is the first-ever collaboration between the municipality and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation,” said Board Chair Armand Hurford.