Making Decisions Together on Haida Gwaii: Fall 2018

> FALL 2018 FOREST VIEWS MAKING DECISIONS TOGETHER ON HAIDA GWAII

NEWS FROM THE HAIDA GWAII MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

• The Timber Supply Review

• Timber Harvesting Land Base

• Forest Inventory and LiDAR

• Public and Licensee Engagement HOW THE WORK GETS DONE GUD AD ISGUU - WORKING TOGETHER When the Haida Gwaii Management Council (HGMC) was first formed in 2011, it represented a new model for collaborative land and resource management. A joint decision-making body, comprised THE HAIDA GWAII MANAGEMENT COUNCIL of members from both an Indigenous government and the Province of BC, was a first - not only on The Haida Gwaii Management Council is a joint decision-making body that is made up of Haida Gwaii but in Canada as well. four members and one chairperson. Two members are appointed by the Haida Nation, two ver the past seven years, are appointed by the Province of British Columbia, and the neutral chairperson is jointly members of the HGMC have appointed. The members of the HGMC work collaboratively to achieve decisions by consen- worked together to reach sus. If a consensus cannot be reached, and if a vote amongst members is tied, it is the role of consensus on important land the chairperson to make the final decision. Omanagement decisions. Despite some differing perspectives between the CHAIR – WARREN MITCHELL Haida Nation and the Province, and Warren was appointed as chair of the HGMC in Spring notwithstanding the yet-unresolved 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany matter of Haida Title, the HGMC has and is a retired professional biologist, professional managed to successfully commission forester and certified silviculturist. a Timber Supply Review in 2011, set the first Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) PROVINCE OF BC – BRIAN BAWTINHEIMER in 2012 and make amendments to the Brian was first appointed to the HGMC in December Land Use Objectives Order in both 2015. Brian has worked for the British Columbia Public PROVINCE OF BC – SHARON HADWAY 2014 and 2017, among other things. Service for over 25 years in protected areas, resource Sharon was first appointed to the HGMC in December The HGMC is now in the process of stewardship and land management. He is currently the 2013. She has a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Man- wrapping up a second Timber Supply Executive Director, Land Use Planning with the Minis- agement and is currently the Regional Executive Director Review process in preparation for a what we’ve been able to accomplish.” background, our experience, our con- try of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource new AAC determination. With such a broad mandate – nection to this land,” explains Haida Rural Development (FLNRORD). Operations and Rural Development in the West Coast “It’s important that the public covering everything from protected Nation representative Kung Xyaalas Region. know how we function as a team. areas management, to land use ob- Tyler Bellis. Kung Xyaalas, who was HAIDA NATION– HUUX PERCY CROSBY The HGMC is a successful model of jectives for forestry, and heritage site born and raised in Gaw Old Massett Percy was first appointed to the HGMC in April 2016. HAIDA NATION – KUNG XYAALAS TYLER BELLIS joint-decision making between the identification and conservation - the often emphasizes community con- He is currently in his third term as a HlGaagilda Skide- Tyler was first appointed to the HGMC in April 2016. Haida Nation and the Province of BC,” HGMC members rely on each oth- cerns at HGMC meetings. “Being Haida gate elected representative for the CHN. He works for He has worked in forestry and land planning on Haida says Brian Bawtinheimer, BC repre- er’s knowledge and expertise. “We and living on Haida Gwaii, Percy and FLNRORD as a First Nations Liaison; he is responsible Gwaii for over a decade. He is a Gaw Old Massett elected sentative on the HGMC. Bawtinheimer have a great deal of respect for one I both know that whatever decisions for developing the co-managed cultural wood access representative for the CHN. Tyler recently completed his was first appointed to the HGMC in another, and I think that is reflect- the HGMC makes, we will always have program and represents the province on the Haida Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in Community 2015. His extensive background in ed in the decisions we are able to to answer to our communities and to Gwaii Cultural Wood Advisory Board. and Aboriginal Forestry. protected areas, resource stewardship make,” says Sharon Hadway, who has the Haida Nation. That perspective and land management help to inform been a member of the HGMC since helps ground the discussions that many of the discussions that take 2013, and has worked alongside past happen at the HGMC table. These place during HGMC meetings. “We HGMC members such as Guujaaw, Skil aren’t decisions being made far off in don’t just sign off on these decisions. Hiilans Allan Davidson, and Monica Victoria, by people with no connection As members we take the time to sit Perry. “I think part of the success of to this place. All the members of the THE JOINT TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP down and really talk through the is- the HGMC comes down to the rela- Management Council know that our sues together - identify the parts that tionships that we as members have decisions have real implications.” The HGMC is conducting a Timber Supply Review (TSR) to support the determination of a new Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) later this we don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye built with each other throughout As the HGMC prepares to deter- year. To carry out the technical aspects of the TSR, the HGMC appointed a Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) which is made up of on and figure out where we can find the time we’ve worked together,” mine the new AAC the four members technical representatives from both the Council of the Haida Nation and the Province of British Columbia. The JTWG also works with that common ground,” Bawtinheimer outside contractors who have expertise in certain areas like mapping, hydrology, and socio-economic analyses. The JTWG is co-led Hadway adds. Having worked for the are keeping this reality top of mind. by Christine Fletcher and Nick Reynolds. explains. Haida Nation representa- Province for the past 25 years in the “With decisions like this, there will tive Huux Percy Crosby agrees, “Even areas of Indigenous relations, forestry always be people who are happy with BC – CHRISTINE FLETCHER though we might not always agree on and natural resource management, the result, and those who are not. Christine is a Team Lead, Strategic Initiatives for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development. everything, we have yet to come to a Hadway’s contributions to the HGMC But we can say with confidence that point of non-consensus. That speaks are bolstered by those of her fellow whatever number we arrive at for the CHN – NICK REYNOLDS volumes to how we work together.” HGMC members. They are, in-turn, AAC, the process of getting there was Nick is a registered professional forester with a Master’s degree in sustainable forest management. Huux would know; as a First Nations well versed in land planning, protect- a genuinely collaborative, joint effort, Liaison for the Ministry of Forests, ed area management, community and and it took into account the views of Lands, Natural Resource Operations Aboriginal forestry, heritage and nat- all members at the table,” Hadway and Rural Development, he is familiar ural resources, and importantly, Haida concludes. WWW.HAIDAGWAIIMANAGEMENTCOUNCIL.CA with negotiating between govern- laws and values. The Haida Gwaii Management ments. “It’s not easy, bringing two “We all bring something dif- Council is expected to make the new sides together like this. But look at ferent to the table in terms of our AAC determination early in 2019. •

2 3 THE TIMBER SUPPLY REVIEW Heritage Sites and Conservancies, for- tive, joint decision-making relationship mally protected 256,000 hectares, or within the HGMC that has continued to HOW IT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS 25.16% of Haida Gwaii’s landmass. In form in the years that have followed. As questions about the future of logging on Haida Gwaii continue to grow and shift, the Haida Gwaii addition, the Province and the Haida Management Council is currently in the midst of a Timber Supply Review (TSR) in preparation for Nation formally passed the Land Use What’s Happening Now? determining the new Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) for the Islands. Objectives Order (LUOO) in late 2010. Since 2012, new forest inventory infor- The LUOO guides forestry practices mation has become available, which is he TSR is an in-depth, tech- followed, the federal and provincial the time of the introduction of British and ensures the implementation of providing more accurate data on which nical process that examines governments began to formally rec- Columbia’s TSR program there were ecosystem-based management; it to base a new AAC determination. In how current forestry manage- ognize and affirm Haida rights, and multiple management units on Haida constitutes some of the highest en- addition, continued concerns about ment practices and land use the Haida Nation began to once again Gwaii: vironmental standards and practices current harvesting practices, particular- Tdecisions affect an area’s timber sup- participate in the management of the •Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 39 (now TFL 60); regulating forestry in all of North ly in regards to the logging of old ts’uu ply, economy, environment and social Islands. In 2009, the Haida Nation and •TFL 24 (part of which was deleted with America. It was critically important Western red cedar, are becoming more the formation of Gwaii Haanas and part that the Islands’ AAC reflect this new widely discussed. These concerns are conditions. The information gathered British Columbia signed the Kunst’aa of which was amalgamated with TFL 25 in the TSR is then used to help deter- Guu – Kunst’aayah Reconciliation and then amalgamated into the TSA); reality of a significantly reduced Tim- also being felt at the decision-making mine the AAC, which limits how much Protocol (KKRP), which established •TFL 47 (now TFL 58); What Changed? ber Harvesting Land Base and the level, as Haida Nation and BC repre- wood can be harvested in an area that specific decisions about resource •the Queen Charlotte Timber Supply Area The balance of decision-making pow- implementation of new forestry reg- sentatives at the Solutions Table are each year. The AAC determination pro- development and land use on Haida (TSA) er underwent a shift in 2009, when ulations. increasingly finding themselves in cess reflects the current management Gwaii are to be shared jointly by the The provincial Ministry of Forests the Haida Nation and the Province of The HGMC began work right non-consensus stalemates over forest- approach and the current land use Haida Nation and British Columbia. As released its first TSR analysis report BC came together to sign the Kunst’aa away, commissioning a new Timber ry development plans. As a result, the decisions for Haida Gwaii. On Haida a result, Haida Gwaii is now the only for the Queen Charlotte Timber Sup- Guu – Kunst’aayah Reconciliation Supply Review to inform their AAC de- HGMC decided to begin conducting a Gwaii, the aim of the TSR and AAC place where the AAC is determined ply Area (now the Haida Gwaii TSA) Protocol (KKRP). The KKRP, along termination. A Joint Technical Working new TSR in 2014 to ensure that the Al- determination is to ensure that the by a joint decision-making body (the in 1994. At that time, it reported that with the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Group (JTWG), comprised of staff from lowable Annual Cut accurately reflects logging being carried out on-Islands Haida Gwaii Management Council), the amount of wood being logged on Act and KaayGuu Ga ga Kyah ts’as - both the Council of the Haida Nation the situation on the ground. Once the is both environmentally and econom- rather than by the Chief Forester of Haida Gwaii was almost two times Gin ‘inaas ‘laas ‘waadluwaan gud tl’a and the Province of BC, was appoint- current TSR is complete, the HGMC ically sustainable over the long-term British Columbia. higher than the long-term sustainable gud giidaa Haida Stewardship Law, ed by the HGMC. The JTWG task was will use the information compiled to and also in keeping with land man- harvest rate. Island communities had outlined a decision-making process to provide a data package as a basis inform its new Allowable Annual Cut long been uneasy about the scale of agement values and Haida and Pro- Historical Timber Supply Reviews that delegated authority to the Haida from which to analyze the timber determination. vincial laws and regulations. After nearly a century of steady logging on Haida Gwaii. When their Gwaii Management Council for Haida supply on Haida Gwaii, to provide In the six years since the last Haida Gwaii has a unique forestry growth of the logging industry, and concerns were confirmed by the 1994 Gwaii’s future Allowable Annual Cut forecasts of feasible future harvest TSR and AAC determination, a lot has history. From the traditional forestry following high-profile dissent like the timber supply analysis, residents band- (AAC) determinations for the whole levels under various assumptions, and changed. This time, the TSR and AAC activities that Haidas have engaged in stand at Athlii Gwaii, the provincial ed together in response, urging elected of Haida Gwaii, and required that the to provide a socioeconomic analysis. determination are not being rushed for millennia, to the commercial for- government recognized the need to officials from all Island communities AAC be re-evaluated every 10 years in The resulting 2011 Haida Gwaii Tim- due to a sudden change in land des- estry industry that makes up a large assess the consequences of existing to write to the Chief Forester. In their order for it to most accurately reflect ber Supply Review indicated that the ignation or the implementation of part of the Islands’ economy today, the forest practices, identify what infor- letter, Islands leaders asked that the current forest conditions. The AAC existing rate of logging on Islands new management policies. The longer forests of Haida Gwaii play a central mation was required to make reliable Allowable Annual Cut be reduced by determination process on Haida Gwaii was unsustainable over the long term. timeframe for this TSR, while frustrat- role in Island life. But the role of for- forecasts about future forests, and en- half, in accordance with what was is unique in that the HGMC deter- After reviewing the data, the HGMC ing to some, has allowed for greater estry on the Islands has at times been sure that timber harvest levels were identified the long-term sustainable mines the AAC for the whole of Haida greatly reduced the AAC to align to assessment and analysis of scenarios, contentious. On Haida Gwaii, a dis- sustainable. rate of harvest. The Province never of- Gwaii, and then the Chief Forester of the reduced land base and new man- thereby ensuring greater certainty for tinctive combination of history, cultur- The Province of British Columbia ficially recognized or responded to the British Columbia must make a deter- agement regime. The HGMC’s 2012 a sustainable AAC. The past six years al values, rights and Title, ecological introduced the TSR program in 1992 communities’ letter, and in 2000, when mination for each of the management determination lowered the Haida have also allowed for the building considerations and socio-economic to update the understanding of tim- the Province completed its next Timber units. The sum of all the Chief Forest- Gwaii AAC by 47.6%, from 1,772,616 of very high-quality data inputs and worries all factor into discussions ber supply and determine new AACs Supply Review, the communities’ de- er decisions must not be greater than cubic metres to 929,000 cubic metres. analysis techniques to ensure all key about the future of logging on-Is- for each of the 37 timber supply areas mand for a reduction in the Allowable the HGMC AAC. The HGMC’s 2011 TSR and 2012 aspects of the forest management sit- lands. Over the years, some commu- and 34 tree farm licences in British Annual Cut was again ignored and the In 2011, less than two years after AAC represented a new model of for- uation can be reflected accurately in nity concerns about the provincial Columbia and Haida Gwaii. Prior to unsustainable rates of harvest contin- the signing of the KKRP, the Haida est management on Haida Gwaii. This analysis. Additonally, the collection of forest management regime have at this, there was no regular, consistent ued. • Gwaii Management Council (HGMC) model reflected the land use agree- data illustrating the on-the-ground im- times intensified into rallies, protests process in place for establishing lim- was formed and its first members ment jointly negotiated between plications of the Land Use Objectives and blockades aimed at challenging its on logging throughout the prov- were appointed. At that time, one of the Haida Nation and the Province Order (LUOO) on the timber harvesting forest management practices. ince. A primary objective of provincial the HGMC’s first tasks was the deter- and the new Ecosystem-based Man- land base has enabled the JTWG to ac- When the Haida Nation’s 1985 legislation enacted in 1992 was to mination of a new AAC. The process agement regime which placed more count for how forestry operations have stand at Athlii Gwaii halted logging ensure that AACs are reviewed and needed to be expedited because, emphasis on the management of im- changed since the implementation of a stand of old growth forest in updated regularly. along with the signing of the KKRP portant ecological and cultural values of the LUOO in 2011, and build these what is now Gwaii Haanas, a door was The AAC has historically been in 2009, the Haida Nation and the unique to Haida Gwaii. The outcome changes into the TSR. opened to a new chapter in resource determined for each “management Province had also designated 11 of the HGMC’s 2011 TSR was a signifi- And, importantly, the HGMC is management and land protection unit”, and it is still determined this new protected areas on the Islands. cantly reduced AAC, and the process committed to engaging the public and These 11 areas, classified as Haida laid the groundwork for a collabora- licensees. on Haida Gwaii. In the years that way in other parts of the province. At – Cont’d on back cover

4 5 WHAT COUNTS THE TECHNICAL WORK THE TIMBER HARVESTING LAND BASE In addition to accurately determining the size of the Timber Harvesting Land Base (THLB) on Haida Haida Gwaii is covered by a vast network of complex and varied ecosystems. Muskeg bog networks dot the Gwaii, the Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) must also examine the variety and quality of forests islands, alpine mountains and sub-alpine plateaus rise from sea level, estuaries feed salmon-bearing river that grow on the Islands. The assessments are a key component of the Timber Supply Review (TSR), as systems like the Yaagun Gandlaay Yakoun and Tll.aal Gandlaay Tlell, and groves of old and second growth they enable the JTWG to predict how different rates of logging will affect the long-term health of the ts’uu Western Red cedar, kayd Sitka spruce, k’aang Hemlock, and sGaahlan Yellow cedar reach towards the forests and the supply of trees. sky. These ecosystems provide nesting and foraging habitats for animals such as stads k’un Haida Gwaii o carry out this work, the inventory was not as significant as given the unique environmental con- Goshawk and taan Haida Gwaii Black bear, endemic species that exist nowhere else on earth. The abundant JTWG relies on forest inven- was first indicated. ditions that occur here. For this new sources of food and materials have enabled Haidas to develop a complex society, rich with meticulous art tory information, which esti- In addition to the photo inter- TSR, the JTWG will be working with forms. And it is from the dense forests of the Islands that trees are felled for monumental poles, dugout mates how many trees of each pretation and ground plot data con- a third-party analyst who will be re- canoes, longhouses, and the commercial forest industry. Tcommercially-harvested species are tained in the VRI, the JTWG is also sponsible for overseeing the model growing, where they are growing, and using Light Detection and Ranging being used. There will also be an ot all of the land on Haida how fast they are growing. The Vege- (LiDAR) information provided by Taan independent peer-review of the data Gwaii is forested, and not tation Resources Inventory (VRI) pro- Forest, British Columbia Timber Sales inputs to the model. all of the forested land is vides information about tree species, and the Province of BC. LiDAR is a Once approved, the JTWG will use available, or even suitable, volumes and heights within a specific remote sensing technology that uses these technical calculations to arrive Nfor commercial logging. In order for area. The majority of the information light waves from a laser to collect at what is known as a “base case fore- the Haida Gwaii Management Council that makes up the inventory comes three-dimensional measurements of cast,” which is designed to represent (HGMC) to place a limit on how much from technical interpretation of aerial objects and environments, often from sustainable logging levels according wood can be harvested each year, the photos of forests and calculations a helicopter. Approximately two-thirds to current practice and management HGMC must first define what is known based on a small number of ground of Haida Gwaii has been mapped with requirements. The base case is then as the Timber Harvesting Land Base. plots. LiDAR, which is able to reveal detailed used to run ‘sensitivity analyses’, The Timber Harvesting Land Base Since the 2011 TSR and 2012 information about floodplains, terrain, which will suggest rates of harvesting (THLB) consists of the land that is Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) determi- and the distribution and volume of based on various possible future poli- both available and suitable for log- nation, new forest inventory informa- forests across the landscape. cy or legal decisions, such as changes ging. tion has become available. This new Once the JTWG has finished as- to the land base, changes to forest In 2011, when the HGMC was boundaries of protected areas, private roads). These exclusions also take into information was a driving factor for sessing all the available inventory management practices, or changes to carrying out their first Timber Supply lands and non-forestry related ten- consideration the so-called “non-pro- initiating a new TSR, as this informa- and LiDAR data, the next step is to modeling inputs. These sensitivity Review for Haida Gwaii, one of the ures administered by the CHN, BC or ductive areas” and unstable terrain tion showed variability from older develop a model to forecast how analyses will help the HGMC under- central focuses of their work was to the Canadian government. where logging is not physically fea- inventory and analysis. Because of the quickly the trees within the THLB stand the potential implications of account for the 11 existing Haida Her- To properly define the Timber sible. apparent discrepancy between the will grow and to what extent they “what if” scenarios. itage sites that had also received pro- Harvesting Land Base, a large number Forest management restrictions are old and new inventory data, the new can be sustainably logged. The model Finally, the JTWG will present tection from the Province of BC when of factors are taken into consider- those restrictions that represent inventory information was audited for must account for variables that affect their findings to the HGMC in the they became provincially designated ation. These can be generally clas- any removal from the THLB due to accuracy. The audit involved taking rates of growth including sunlight, form of a data package. The informa- as Conservancies in 2008. This des- sified into three broad categories: policies, typically those protecting additional ground samples from a rainfall, wind, soil nutrients and the tion contained in the data package ignation was significant, as it meant administrative, biophysical, and forest non-timber values. These include few hundred plots scattered across impact of rot. These variables have will form much of the basis of the that 256,000 hectares of land were management. examples such as protection of stads the Islands. The audit found that the been found to be different on Haida HGMC’s Allowable Annual Cut deter- excluded from the Timber Harvesting Administrative restrictions encompass k’un Haida Gwaii Goshawk nesting variability between the old and new Gwaii than elsewhere on the coast, mination. • Land Base. The removal of these pro- such areas as the 11 Haida Heritage habitat or taan Haida Gwaii Black bear tected areas from the THLB was one Sites and Conservancies, Nee Kun dens. These restrictions also include of the factors that contributed to a Naikoon and Gantl’ Gadaas Pure Lake Cedar Stewardship Areas, forest re- reduction of the Allowable Annual Cut Provincial Parks, Gwaii Haanas, and serves, and buffers that have been put determination in 2012. Ecological Reserves such as T’aalan in place to protect riparian areas or For this new TSR, the HGMC is Stl’ang Lepas Bay, and Taaw Tow Hill. Haida traditional forest and heritage utilizing newer mapping techniques They also account for so-called “pri- features as required by the Haida to more accurately determine the ex- vate lands,” municipalities such as Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order. tent of the THLB. The most significant Daajing Giids Queen Charlotte, Gaw While many of the exclusions are changes to the THLB since 2012 in- Masset, federally-defined “Indian re- overlapping (for instance, some of clude: more accurate mapping of river serves” such as HlGaagilda Skidegate the stads k’un Haida Gwaii Goshawk systems and their associated buffer and Gaw Old Massett, and the other nesting sites may be located within zones; quantifying natural disturbanc- communities on the Islands. an already-protected Haida Heritage es such as windthrow and landslides; Biophysical restrictions account for Site), together, the exclusions cover excluding unstable terrain that is the exclusion of streams, lakes and more than 80% of Haida Gwaii’s land unsuitable for logging; utilizing new wetland areas, as well as rare geo- base. In the 2011 TSR, less than 19% forest and ecosystem inventories; logical formations and non-forest (ex. of the total area of Haida Gwaii fell and, collating precise administrative alpine areas or current and future within the THLB. • Kaysuun (Owen Jones/CHN)

6 7 ENCOURAGING FEEDBACK

– From Page 5 ne of the most significant decision-making body other than the Once the JTWG compiles the changes to the process Chief Forester. Licensees were invit- data package that describes current of the Timber Supply ed to participate in a review of the forest management on Haida Gwaii Review (TSR) and Allow- TSR data package compiled by the and provides a timber supply analysis, Oable Annual Cut (AAC) determination Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG), including forecasts of sustainable fu- this time around is the Haida Gwaii but, in general, there was minimal ture levels of logging, the information Management Council (HGMC) focus feedback from licensees at that time. from that data package will be put on engaging the public and licensees. This time, the Haida Gwaii into a Public Discussion Paper. The The HGMC recognizes that whatev- Management Council has prioritized Public Discussion Paper is intended to er the outcome of the TSR and AAC licensee engagement. A Licensee inform the public, licensees, and other determination is, it will most directly Committee was formed to formalize interested parties about the findings impact residents of Haida Gwaii and a relationship between licensees and of the Timber Supply Review to gath- those who work in the forest industry. the JTWG. This way, updated TSR in- er additional feedback. In 2011, the TSR process was formation is shared with licensees as When the Public Discussion Pa- expedited and for the first time an part of an ongoing process and their per is complete it will be published AAC was being determined by a joint feedback is considered. on the HGMC website and circulated on-Islands. Members of the public will then have 45 days to review information and data provided in the document and contact the HGMC with questions and comments related to the TSR or upcoming AAC determination. This feedback from the public will help to inform the HGMC’s decisions around the new AAC. Once the new AAC determination has been made, members of the HGMC and the JTWG will hold community meetings on-Islands. The purpose of these meetings will be to inform the public about the new TSR and AAC and respond to any questions and concerns about the process or the determination. •

Published by the Haida Gwaii Management Council Fall 2018, Haida Gwaii

For permission to reproduce articles please contact the HGMC at:

[email protected] • Province of BC – Veroncia Cadden 250 751 3117 • Council of the Haida Nation – Laurie Whitehead 250 626 6058

Writer and Photographer: Tanisha Salomons