When Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell came to 100 Mile House yesterday, he brought glad tidings indeed.

Along with Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett, the minister announced the proposal for a 100 Mile House community forest has finally come to a conclusion.

Some two dozen people gathered in the council chambers to hear the good news. Bell told them a community forest will create employment, enhance recreation and tourism, and help supply the area’s world-renowned log home manufacturers.

The minister said the community forest would go beyond simply harvesting timber, as it will allow the harvesting of non-timber resources in the forest.

“In tough markets like we’re in right now, that’s a very good and unique opportunity.”

He noted that when he was involved with

the Forestry Round Table in the ‘90s, there were intense discussions around community forests and First Nations community forests and wood lots.

“Discussions always came back to the need

for some kind of attachment between local sawmills and the community… it came down to communities having some authority over the decisions made in the forests around them and a desire to get more economic benefit.”

The 25-year agreement will allow 100 Mile Development Corporation to

harvest up to 20,000 cubic metres of

timber a year. The community forest consists of about 18,000 hectares of Crown land bordered roughly by Highways 97 and 24 in the southwest, and includes the area south of Buffalo and Edwards lakes, to the north of Horse Lake.

Barnett, who was 100 Mile mayor at the time, noted she and her council started working on a community forest proposal in 1997.

“I think the community forest will provide some good logs here for log-home builders, for industry, for restoration and other entities. It will also help raise some revenue for the District of 100 Mile and help take the load of the backs of the taxpayers.”

Bell also ann-ounced the ministry is going to be entering into formal discussions with the

Canim Lake Indian Band on a community forest.

“Chief Mike Archie has been very aggressive in this area and has shown a strong passion for forestry in the region, and we believe the Canim Lake band is a great example of a band that can lead the way in British Columbia around the new form of tenure for First Nations.”

Chief Archie said this was good news as a community forest definitely provide opportunities for

his people.