WEST KELOWNA, BC – The Westbank First Nation (WFN) has been awarded a 15 year forest license to help support the local economy.
The BC Government license covers approximately 9,000 hectares of Crown land in an area of the West Kettle River, encompassing Two John Lake, Derickson Lake, Mount Moore, Jubilee Mountain and St. Margaret Lake.
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The WFN can harvest up to 32,400 cubic metres of timber a year for the next 15 years, with the option of renewing the license.
“It is a great opportunity, not just for the First Nation, but for the workers and forestry-related businesses across the region,” says BC Minister of Forests and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson.
The area is within the Derickson Trapline, a traditional territory for the WFN.
“The new forest license creates new opportunities that will have positive spinoffs for WFN and for the region as a whole,” says Chief Robert Louie, head of the WFN.
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