The communities of Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Fraser Lake will be better able to manage forest resources, protect against wildfires and secure local forestry jobs with the expansion of community forests in these areas. “Community forests have the power to connect local communities to their forests, all while ensuring a stable supply of logs for their mills,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Expanding these three community forests is about creating and protecting good jobs and supporting the local sector.” The second phase of the Prince George Timber Supply apportionment decision will allocate a total of 60,000 cubic metres to these communities. The first round of apportionment in May 2021 allocated more than 1.2 million cubic metres to First Nations in the area. …All community forest expansions are done with First Nations’ consultation, and many First Nations are already linked to community forests through equity partnerships and business-to-business agreements.