At the 2024 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) conference in Vancouver Sept. 16-20, the forestry sector will be higher profile than usual, with multiple resolutions highlighting growing concerns from communities dependent on the industry. UBCM, which brings together local governments to influence provincial policy, is a vital forum where the voices of smaller, often rural municipalities are amplified. This year, forestry is back in focus—not necessarily on the minds of residents in Vancouver or Victoria, but certainly in the communities that depend on it for their economic survival… Kamloops’ resolution to link timber rights to local mills is, in many ways, a response to this very issue—trying to recapture control over local resources that, for too long, have benefited corporate interests far removed from the communities themselves.