A wildfire recovery initiative in British Columbia’s Fort Nelson Community Forest is set to support fibre availability and waste wood utilization in the region—providing downstream benefits for the pulp and paper sector.
Announced on April 24 by Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar at the BC First Nations Forestry Council’s annual conference, the project is part of a broader $20 million provincial investment by the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC). Over $1 million has been allocated to projects in Northeast B.C., including efforts to recover and redistribute fire-damaged pulp logs.
The Fort Nelson Community Forest, a partnership between the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation, will receive funding for two targeted efforts: wildfire fuel break work west of the community and the mobilization of pulp-grade logs from fire-impacted areas. These salvaged logs will be transported to a central distribution site and ultimately delivered to Canfor’s pulp mill in Prince George.
The initiative comes in response to the severe wildfires that forced the full evacuation of Fort Nelson in 2024 and destroyed significant volumes of merchantable wood. With the support of First Nations contractors, the recovery project aims to mitigate further fibre loss while strengthening the regional bioeconomy.
“This project reflects how forest recovery and sustainable fibre mobilization can directly support pulp and paper manufacturing while advancing wildfire resilience,” said Lennard Joe, CEO of the BC First Nations Forestry Council. “It’s about moving the province forward in a good way—economically and environmentally.”
According to FESBC, the Northeast Region projects will enable the utilization of 39,000 cubic metres of wood—equivalent to over 800 truckloads—avoiding approximately 17,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions that would have resulted from traditional slash pile burning. Wildfire risk reduction efforts will also allow for treatment of 110 hectares of vulnerable forestland.
As fibre availability becomes increasingly sensitive to climatic and environmental disruptions, the Fort Nelson project highlights the value of coordinated recovery strategies that link forest management with mill operations. It also underscores the role of Indigenous-led partnerships in strengthening fibre security across the supply chain.
