ABOUT US
Wells Gray Community Forest
The Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation (WGCFC) is a unique and proudly citizen-owned forest located in the heart of British Columbia’s Wells Gray Country. Surrounded by soaring mountains and thundering waterfalls, our community forest is a working forest that provides multiple environmental, economic, and social benefits. Unlike other forests managed by major licensees, WGCFC is managed by people who live in the area and have a deep appreciation for the land.
Our approach to forest management is different. We operate on a smaller scale, focusing on longer-term sustainability rather than shorter-term profits. With a fixed land base of 13,000+ hectares, our forestry management operations are carefully planned and implemented, knowing that every decision we make today impacts our future. We prioritize land management, environmental stewardship, community benefits, and worker safety.
WGCFC was born out of a desire to take control of our natural resources and help support a stronger, more resilient rural community. When the Weyerhaeuser mill, a key employer of community members, shut down in 2003, it greatly impacted the community and we saw the opportunity to manage our forests in a way to not only create jobs but also protect our watersheds, enhance recreational opportunities, and support local industries and contractors.
Today, WGCFC operates under a long-term Community Forest tenure agreement, managing the land around Clearwater, a township 130 kilometres north of Kamloops. In our work, we seek to benefit the people of Wells Gray Country while maintaining the highest standards of forest stewardship. We are committed to managing multiple resources and ensuring our operations align with our community’s values and the highest environmental standards.
We are working for the forest, and benefitting community members, now and in the future.
WELLS GRAY COMMUNITY FOREST
Key Dates and Achievements
Weyerhaeuser mill shuts down. 300 community members are out of work. >
The Community Forest is Incorporated. >
WGCFC is awarded a probationary Community Forest License. >
WGCFC begins planning and operations with local foresters and loggers. >
WGCFC focuses on sustainable utilization of dead pine. >
WGCFC enters into a long-term Community Forest License agreement. >
WGCFC hosted a non-Timber Forest Products Information Symposium. >
Watershed risk analysis and development suitability report are completed. >
WGCFC collaborated with UBC students and hydrologists to upgrade watershed infrastructure. >
Management Plan and Forest Stewardship documents updated and Forestry working group established. >
WGCFC completes an intensive silviculture forest management project. >
Funding provided for a biomass heating project and other community projects. >
Major bridge structures replaced and road infrastructure enhanced. >
Beetle trapping project conducted and large-scale grinding project completed. >
Mission
The Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation’s mission is to operate and manage a Community Forest Agreement License on a long term sustainable, environmental and social plan that will maximize economic opportunities and benefits for the residents of Wells Gray Country.
Vision
The WGCFC’s vision is to operate and manage a Community Forest Agreement License on a long term sustainable, environmental, and social plan that will maximize economic opportunities and benefits for the residents of Wells Gray Country and the District of Clearwater.
Goals and Management
The Wells Gray Community Forest (WGCFC) will be guided by a sustainable forest management ethic. The WGCFC will manage for multiple resources. These values are consistent with Kamloops Land and Resource Management Plan as well as other Local Resource Use Plans within the Thompson Rivers, Okanagan Forest District. The WGCFC is designed to benefit the people of Wells Gray Country while maintaining a high standard of forest stewardship on the land base.
Board of Directors
The Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation (WGCFC) is managed and owned on behalf of the citizens of Wells Gray Country. The corporation operates under the guidance of a Board of Directors, consisting of eight volunteer members, including the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. This Board oversees the business affairs of the corporation, while day-to-day operations are managed by a General Manager who reports directly to the Board.
Brent Buck
President
Seppi Wadlegger
Director
Ron Hadley
Director
Glen Foss
Simpcw Representative
Sabine Cooperman
Vice President
Wayne Sim
Director
Sylvain Menard
Secretary
Kim Muddiman
Treasurer
Join our Board of Directors and help shape the future of our community forest while making a lasting impact on Wells Gray Country.
WGCFC Manager
George Brcko
Registered Professional Forester (RPF)
George Brcko has been practicing forestry for the last 26 years in the North Thompson Valley and is a Registered Forest Technologist with the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals. He has gained both forest development and silviculture experience from working for major licensees and small tenures. This experience has given him the opportunity to learn from the challenges facing both large and small tenure holders in BC. For the last 13 years he has been managing the Wells Gray Community Forest and for the last six years was a member of the provincial BC Community Forest Association where he acted as the President for his final year until May 2019.
“We are here to protect the forests, the park, the water, that’s what community forests do. We are committed to managing the landscape to maintain healthy forest ecosystems and promote a future resilient forest.”
Documents
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