Lands and Resources

Je jeum {Forestry}

Forest Practices Report

The Forestry Treaty Related Measure required review and compilation of research into Sliammon's traditional approaches to forest management- more generally described as Traditional Forest Practices. These approaches were to be examined alongside contemporary forest practices.

Issues of environmental sensitivity, economic viability, traditional and contemporary practices as they are applied to forest business and management were considered. Research into traditional forest practices required examination through survey or assessment of local knowledge and experience.

As a result of community consulation, this report contains a summary of recommendations as to how Sliammon should manage our forestry opportunties.

This report overwhelmingly emphasizes the need for a balance between economic and cultural forest values.

Excerpt from Forest Practices Report:

Sliammon people used plants in many ways, such as for decoration and ornamentation, as scents, cleaning agents and insect repellents, and in recreational activities. The women became highly skilled in the art of working with plant materials. The cedar-wood canoe, totem poles and bentwood boxes of the coastal groups are collector items sought after worldwide. There are innumerable other equally impressive examples of proficiency in the utilization of plants and plant products. Sliammon People and their use of the forest around them was a matter of survival and as a result of managing survival lead to amazingly creative and innovative accomplishments. Sliammon is a vital part of this rich history and continues to carry on aspects of this tradition today.