About

Barkley Community Forest Corporation (BCFC) is jointly owned by the District of Ucluelet and the Toquaht Nation. It is authorized by the Province of British Columbia under the Barkley Community Forest Agreement to an allowable annual cut of 27,000 cubic metres and an initial term of 25 years. The agreement area covers more than 6,760 hectares next to the Maggie Lake watershed.

Our Vision

To enhance community stability and quality of life for local residents through community control of the forest resource providing employment and utilizing forest resources in a diverse manner that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable; ensuring a vital community and community forest land base, and a financially sound community forest business, for the benefit of current and future generations.

The following goals and guiding principles guide our stewardship and management objectives and strategies.

Goals

  1. Establish and maintain a healthy and productive working forest that provides economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits to both current and future generations living on the west coast.
  2. To fully realize the optimal potential of the forest land to host a diversity of viable economic activities with an emphasis on local employment while, maximizing local value-added opportunities which contribute to the long-term strength and diversity of the Ucluelet and area economy.
  3. To create and administer the community forest in a business-like manner and to ensure financial self-sufficiency, and generate a fair rate of return on investment.
  4. To encourage and advance a sustainable, and profitable non-timber harvest sector.
  5. To undertake progressive forest management practices that protect ecosystems, promote forest regeneration, and which ensure a sustainable base that allows long-term benefits to be realized.
  6. To restore the degraded capacity of forest lands to contribute economic benefits.
  7. To uphold the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve Charter vision and principles within the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve Region.
  8. To provide the local community with long term access to a landbase and associated forest resources.
  9. To promote partnerships between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people where all people and their values and priorities are respected.
  10. Management is conducted in an open and honest manner with respectful consideration of varying community perspectives.
  11. Operations are conducted in a safe manner and workers are treated with respect.
  12. The Maggie Lake watershed and the Stopper Islands are distinct areas to be managed with the objective of preserving for water quality and cultural heritage values respectively.

Guiding Principles

  1. Forest resources are managed in a manner that assures environmental sustainability.
  2. Local processing of timber resources is promoted at fair market value for the logs.
  3. The multitude of timber and non-timber resources are managed in a collaborative, and integrated manner.
  4. All stakeholders are assets to the community forest and are treated with respect, and operations are done in an open and transparent manner.
  5. The west coast communities have the opportunity to be involved in forest development planning and participate in the monitoring of activities.
  6. Plans that create employment opportunities in timber harvesting, silviculture, processing, forestry and engineering, and management are promoted.
  7. Forest management applies a balanced use of forest resources.
  8. A future water licence in the Maggie Lake Watershed necessitates that activities in the watershed result in only inconsequential impacts to water quality and quantity in the Maggie River.
  9. Harvesting activities on the Stopper Islands will be restricted to single tree selection for cultural use purposes. All other activities shall be consistent with the objective of protecting the cultural heritage resources of the island.