Pacheedaht elder and longtime Fairy Creek forest defender Bill Jones will join Nelson residents on Sunday, Oct. 4, as communities across B.C. come together for a province-wide fall rally calling for an end to old-growth logging and a new approach to forest protection. The Nelson rally, Hands Off Old Growth, is a grassroots action coordinated with events in Victoria and other communities across the province, coinciding with NDP Premier David Eby’s recent announcement of a snap election this Oct. 24. Organizers of the rally are calling for the promised paradigm shift in forestry, Indigenous-led conservation, climate stability and an economy that values biodiversity. Keenan Dennehy of 4theloveofbc.ca — an advocate for sustainable forest management and biodiversity protection in British Columbia — said the bill has come due for the forestry industry. …The rally comes as the province advances its proposed Working Forest model, while questions remain about how much old growth and primary forest will receive lasting protection.

In 2012, on a damp Sunday night, two rain-soaked women knocked on the door of a Pacheedaht man in Port Renfrew. They asked him to come see the Walbran. He was in his seventies, unwell, and by his own account a “last-class underdog.” Elder Bill Jones’s story, told with writer Karen Moe over 161 recorded conversations, isn’t what you might expect from a protest book. In Listening Once Again to Our Great Mother, available now at Dundurn Press, he goes back to his grandfather Charlie, who began telling him the stories of their ancestors when he was fourteen and home from the Port Alberni Indian Residential School. …The book isn’t flawless. …But what it gets right matters far more. Elizabeth May calls it “the essential teaching for our time,” and Suzanne Simard says it belongs in every Canadian school. They’re right. Old growth isn’t a resource. 

BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is finalizing harvest plans for 120 hectares of ancient and old-growth forests in critical Southern Mountain Caribou habitat after their deferral status was deleted. The proposed logging will clearcut over 100 hectares of Technical Advisory Panel (TAP)-recommended old growth deferrals adjacent to the Foster Arm Protected area in the Northern Monashee Mountains north of Revelstoke. “We asked BCTS staff about logging plans this spring. BCTS admitted that the proposed development near Foster Creek overlapped with TAP deferral blocks first recommended for protection in 2021,” says Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight Conservation Specialist. “Weeks later, the deferrals had simply been removed so that the area could be logged.” …These forests are occupied by the last remaining viable southernmost Caribou herd — the Columbia North Caribou herd. 

As we move into fall, this is a time share the important role community forests play across BC. September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a time to reflect on our shared history, to listen and learn, and to recognize that reconciliation is ongoing work. Across BC, community forests are contributing to that work by building relationships with First Nations …and learning from the knowledge and values that First Nations bring to caring for the land. …With a provincial election underway, the BCCFA will be working throughout the campaign to bring our priorities forward and help candidates understand what community forests are delivering for BC and what is needed to strengthen the community forest program. In this edition of our newsletter, you’ll find information on:

• Member and Partner News
• Wildfire Resources
• BCCFA Monthly Reports and Minutes
• BCCFA Resources Including the 2026 Indicators Report and BCCFA Films
• Upcoming Events

“As we mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I have been reflecting on what truth and reconciliation mean to me, to our communities, and to the work we do in forestry. I am grateful for my parents and my community for the support and guidance that allowed me to gain the education and experience to become the forester I am today. I also carry memories that remind me why this journey matters. I remember standing with my cousins as they waited for the bus to take them to residential school for the year. Each had one small bag or suitcase with their belongings. I remember wanting to go with them. My older cousin looked at me and said, “You don’t want to go where we are going.” I still remember his words. … Our people are still on a healing journey… The land has provided much of what we need along that journey. …In this issue, the Forestry Council is sharing stories from First Nations across BC about what reconciliation means to them,” writes Lennard Joe, introducing the September newsletter.