Innovative silviculture grant awarded to Squamish Community Forest

Squamish Community Forest has been awarded a $40,000 “Innovation in Action” grant from the Silviculture Innovation Program (SIP) to develop plans for forest thinning to improve forest resilience, reduce wildfire risk and manage multiple forest values. The collaborative project, co-led by the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Rights and Title and Cultural teams and the Squamish Community Forest management team, supports knowledge sharing for reflection of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh culture and ways of knowing in forest management. The project includes identifying priority treatment sites and co-developing prescriptions for thinning through a two-eyed seeing approach. Goals for the thinning prescriptions include increasing biodiversity, reducing wildfire risk, improving future stand structure and nurturing cultural values. The work supports and contributes to implementation of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Stséḵtseḵ Forestry Framework.

Some of the second growth forests across the Community Forest are now overly dense, with dark understories, many dead and dry branches in the lower tree position and little understory vegetation. While forest stands do self-thin over time, an intervention through actively thinning and pruning/removing lower branches can accelerate the return of greater habitat and cultural values, while reducing wildfire risk. In determining what to remove during a thinning treatment, the project will consider which values to keep – such as culturally significant plants – and create more space to support their growth.

As defined by SIP – Innovative Silviculture Systems include systems for the harvesting, growing and tending of forests where the primary objective is to achieve holistic stewardship of the land base, including maintaining ecosystem health, water quality and quantity. Innovative silviculture systems are driven by an appreciation of multiple values, including ecological, social, cultural, and economic values of forests, where stewardship is focused on maintaining the continuity of dynamic ecosystem processes and functions.

Squamish Community Forest is grateful for the grant from SIP, which supports the Community Forest in implementing innovative silviculture and stewarding the forest for future generations.