New Partnership between First Nations Forestry Council and BC Wildfire Service

(December 15, 2020) VANCOUVER, BC – The BC First Nations Forestry Council (the ‘Forestry Council’) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the BC Wildfire Service through the Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program.

The Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program (IFSP) offers Indigenous youth training and employment opportunities in the forest sector and its sub-sectors.

“This partnership supports the mission of the BC First Nations Forestry Workforce Strategy, which is to achieve sustainable and meaningful career and business opportunities for First Nations in all areas of the BC forest sector,” tells Charlene Higgins, CEO of the BC First Nations Forestry Council.

Jamie Jeffreys, Director of Strategic Partnerships with the BC Wildfire Service, says, “The BC Wildfire Service is excited to participate in the Indigenous Forestry Scholarship Program. We hope our involvement will increase the placement opportunities available for Indigenous students in the forest and natural resource sector. This is also a great opportunity for our organization to learn from students with emerging concepts of land management and increase Indigenous involvement with wildfire prevention and operations.”

Joe Daniels is a student from Gitxsan Nation and the 2019 recipient of the Indigenous Forestry Scholarship. Joe hopes to see more opportunities awarded to Indigenous students in forestry:

“In realizing the potential for conflict between traditional knowledge holders and industrial professionals, I feel like it is my duty to develop the skills necessary to bridge the gap between those two worlds by increasing the capacity of Indigenous leadership in land and resource management.”

The program has awarded scholarships to five Indigenous students. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled in full-time forestry-related studies. Candidates are then required to participate in summer work that includes periods of one-on-one career mentorship.