Forestry

Mission Statement "To maintain and enhance North Cowichan's valuable municipal forest resources for all users through sustainable forestry, ecological stewardship, & sound fiscal management"

The Municipality of North Cowichan is one of the few communities in North America that has privately owned forest lands managed for the residents of North Cowichan. Did you know that North Cowichan owns 5,000 ha of lands which make up 25% of the total land area of North Cowichan? Add in another 25% of the municipality which is in the Agriculture Land Reserve and half of our community is unavailable for development. This combination of lands gives North Cowichan a sizeable amount of green space and adds to our quality of life. Check out some of our hiking trails.

The Municipality established its Community Forest in 1946. Much of the lands included were acquired by North Cowichan for non-payment of taxes. These lands remained un-managed until the 1960s when the holdings were divided into ten woodlots which were harvested by local operators who did a "diameter limit cutting," which permitted the logging of trees greater than a set diameter. This management of the Forest Reserve continued until 1981, when the Municipality established a Forestry Department overseen by the Forestry Advisory Committee (FAC). The FAC is made up of three elected officials, three appointed volunteer foresters, and three Municipal staff. In the last twenty years, the land base has been managed intensively. The logging practices are now patch cut with green tree retention, and all harvested areas are planted. These new crops of third growth trees are juvenile spaced and pruned to ensure a future higher value for the tax payers of North Cowichan.

Our community forest consists of six major land holdings: Mount Prevost, Mount Sicker, Mt. Tzouhalem, Stony Hill, Mount Richards, and Maple Mountain. This working forest is managed for multiple use including harvesting of forest crops, recreational uses, forest education, domestic water supplies, visual landscape, economic development, and as a revenue source. The land base is managed to the intent of the Forest Practices Code with audits of our operation.

The Municipal program generates, on average, 12 person years of work annually, and has an annual 2012 operating budget of $1,425,000. The program not only covers its costs of managing all aspects of the reserve, but has contributed  $1.3 million to general revenues of the Municipality since 1992; contributed $270,000 for a Forest Legacy Fund for special projects, as approved by Council; and in 1998 established an annual $1,200 scholarship and two $600 bursaries.  Our program has also built up a $146,000 fund for emergency forest fire fighting costs and a rainy day fund of $619,748 for major changes in logging revenues. This fund would support our ongoing maintenance programs during major economic downturns without having to liquidate substantial amounts of forested areas.

The Forestry program has funded the purchase of 35 acres of new lands in 1995, and 26 acres in 1999 near Chemainus Lake. Read more about North Cowichan's Forestry Program.

Our Community Forest has a secure land base, access to local labour, transportation, and sawmills. The Forestry program is flexible and managed on a long-term, sustainable basis.

Specific areas in the reserve have been set aside as ecological reserves and viewpoints. Examples of these are:

• Mt. Prevost Cairn and Wildflower Reserve

• Mt. Tzouhalem Ecological Wildflower Reserve

• Maple Mountain Preservation Management Zone