The community forest license has been five years in the making, but it’s finally done, Port Alberni mayor Ken McRae said.

Forest and Range minister Pat Bell joined McRae and other civic officials as the license agreement was announced and signed at Port Alberni city hall on Monday morning, Nov. 2.

“This feels good because this has been a long time coming,” McRae said later. “It’s important because it’s taking forestry and putting it back into the hands of the community.”

The agreement is between the Ministry of Forests and Range and the Alberni Valley Community Forests Corporation, whose directors are comprised of representatives from the city, Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations, as well as the Sproat Lake electoral district and others.

The agreement is 25 years in length, and allows 18,000 cubic metres of timber to be harvested from 6,400 hectares of Crown land near Sproat Lake per year.

While the agreement will provide cutting opportunities and jobs, the work is still subject to cutblock planning, public consultation, stumpage and other measures. As well, cultural, recreation, wildlife, and visual qualities around must also be adhered to, Bell said.

The agreement is rooted in a 2004 meeting at which former forest minister Mike deYong first discussed the idea of a community forest with McRae. “From there it was one step at a time – like anything else these things take time,” McRae said.

The license is part of a broader vision, McRae said. "We're looking at the whole watershed, it's owned by TimberWest and is for sale," he said. "We got 18,000 hectares, but there's more in the watershed." As well, that a portion of profits generated by the corporation could be invested into city infrastructure such as a new pool, he added.

Most of the province’s 50 other community forest agreements were concluded inside of five years, but Port Alberni’s presented unique challenges. The Island’s landscape is layered with a matrix of private, aboriginal, municipal and provincial interests, each of which had to be considered during land selection, Bell said.

Local aboriginal representatives – who have seats on the Alberni Valley Community Forests Corporation - responded tepidly to the agreement.

“I’m happy for the city, but I’m a bit jealous of the community forest license,” Tseshaht chief councillor Les Sam said. Forest Range Agreements, one of which the Tsesasht are party to, are limiting in length of time and harvest opportunity, he added.

Port Alberni First Nations get to be part of the industry in a more meaningful way, but issues remain, Hupacasath councillor Warren Lauder said.

“We’ve got a seat on the corporation and will have input with our land-use plan,” Lauder said. “But we’re still in negotiations over TFL 44, and that hasn’t been resolved,” he added.