Canada is known for its vast and breathtaking forested landscapes across the world, spanning the lush greenery of coastal rainforests in British Columbia to the expansive boreal forests up north. These forests have been a cornerstone of the nation’s ecological health, indigenous cultural identity, and economic well-being. Still, in recent decades, industrial forestry practices have contributed to habitat fragmentation and endangerment of various animal species caused by the erosion of ecosystems as a result of unsustainable forest management. Although they might be discussed within this article, those problems will not be the focus; Instead, we are taking a deep dive into the role of Indigenous land stewardship and sustainable forest management within Canada and more specifically British Columbia. Clearcutting and short-term profit-incentivized models have sparked the fire among conservationists, ecologists, and indigenous groups about whether there is a better way to manage these irreplaceable ecosystems. This is no small issue, the stakes are high: Canada’s forests play a critical part in converting carbon to oxygen, regulating water systems, and sustaining wildlife like it has done for decades before these issues were even a concern.
A growing consensus suggests that an alternative, more sustainable approach to forest stewardship exists, and big shocker, it is not new, but is deeply rooted in the knowledge and land traditions of Indigenous communities who have managed the lush landscapes for millennia. Indigenous stewardship guided by Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) offers a pathway to forest management that focuses on long-term ecological health rather than a short-term focus on profit or economic gain (Wastesicoot). Through co-management frameworks, “land back” movements, and Indigenous-protected conserved areas, many Indigenous communities are restoring their traditional authority over forest lands, but is it too little too late? We don’t think so, because these models for once challenge the top-down, industrial paradigm and demonstrate that when people who have lived with the land for generations guide stewardship decisions, more resilient, biodiverse forests can emerge and thrive, allowing habitation for all the cute little creatures and Bambi’s out there. The result, hopefully, is a path toward balance that meets human material and economic needs without ignoring the integrity of Canada’s forest ecosystems.
Contextual Overview
“Clearcut logging in the Walbran valley has been highly controversial on Vancouver Island. The Wilderness Committee, which is campaigning for greater protections for the Walbran, estimates clearcutting on Vancouver Island is occurring at the rate of 34 soccer fields per day.”
Lavoie
For context, Canada has historically relied on industrial forestry to generate GDP, a strategy rooted in Western resource extraction that treats forests and landscapes as a commodity and that’s it. Fueled and driven by global timber markets, this approach keeps the emphasis on maximizing short-term yield by executing large clear-cutting operations without worrying about the ecological repercussions on habitat and wildlife. Don’t get me wrong, these logging methods have contributed significantly to Canada’s economy and rural employment opportunities for a long time, but they have also resulted in degraded habitats, and the displacement of wondrous wildlife that depend on old growths (Bosshart). This model has also overshadowed the local voices of those who have thrived on these lands. Indigenous peoples have not only existed in these forests for thousands of years, but have actively managed them through TEK-based practices such as cultural burning, selective harvesting, rotating areas of use, and actively monitoring plants and animals (Wastesicoot). These strategies have historically maintained a healthy ecosystem before the colonization and imposition of more western land practices which essentially sidelined or excluded entirely indigenous leadership. Thankfully, policy shifts and collaborative management efforts have opened the door to Indigenous-led stewardship to reassert itself (Parks Canada). This is progress in the right direction, across the country cultural practices have been re-asserting themselves through “land back” movements through agreements between indigenous and provincial governance. This shift acknowledges that these practices are not just an environmental ideal, but a continuation of age-old caretaking practices that have evolved with the people who have cared for and inhabited it.
Wildlife and Habitat
As an animal lover, one of the biggest concerns deforestation poses is to the animals who can’t defend themselves in any way, unless we’re talking about a grizzly bear. Those things can protect themselves against nearly anything. Given the already healthy bear population, let’s look at a more endangered species; like the Canadian boreal caribou which are at “ risk of extinction in Canada because of landscape changes induced by human activities and resource extraction.” (Johnson et al). Caribou, although mighty powerful, are highly sensitive to landscape disturbances as they require large expanses of mature boreal forest and wetlands so that they have refuge from predators and can access stable sources of sustenance. Johnson proposes that maintaining old growth forests which promote structural diversity along with Indigenous management helps keep the balance between predator-prey relationships healthy (Johnson et al).
One of the critical shortcomings of industrial forestry lies in its tendency to fragment habitats; clearcuts carve large gaps into continuous forest cover which disrupts migratory pathways and thus alters microclimates (Dossa & Miassi). Wolves and other predators are able to take advantage of line-of-sight hunting opportunities that normally wouldn’t be possible. In contrast, Indigenous-led forest management aims at supporting ecosystem complexity and ensuring that no single type of resource extraction overwhelms mother nature’s regenerative capabilities. A good contemporary example of Indigenous practices that are being prescribed is cultural burning; while industrial forestry suppresses fire to protect timber, Indigenous communities traditionally used controlled burns to encourage the growth of certain understory plants, which reduce fuel loads and create a mosaic of habitat conditions in which animals can thrive. This patchwork structure, developed over centuries, supports healthier populations of herbivores such as deer, caribou, and moose, which in turn supports predators like wolves and cougars in an environment not manipulated by human consumption (Carlson et al). Improved forage availability can indirectly benefit species at all trophic levels, ensuring that no single population becomes so dominant that it destabilizes the ecosystem.
Moreover, Indigenous stewardship often involves strict seasonal and spatial regulations on when and where certain resources can be harvested, ensuring that wildlife is not overexploited. That means instead of viewing wildlife as purely “game” or “resource,” TEK frames animals as part of a reciprocal network of responsibilities that must be upheld (Wastesicoot). Indigenous law and protocol dictate sustainable harvest levels that preserve not only today’s populations but also future generations. This ethos results in forest landscapes that are more likely to retain the old-growth attributes; large trees, snags, and complex canopy layers that many sensitive wildlife species need for survival. This approach has a ripple effect across all ecology. Birds dependent on insects that feed on these plants also benefit, and so do predators that depend on the birds. The entire chain, from small plants and vegetation to apex predators, functions more cohesively under a strategy that aims at maintaining equilibrium rather than extracting maximum yield.
Deforestation takes its toll on the land itself, reshaping fundamental structures through landslides and degradation caused by a lack of structural integrity within the soil. A UBC article highlights that clearcutting fundamentally alters how water moves through a watershed, which has lasting implications for the land and waterways, as well as how fauna interact with them (Bosshart). Clearcuts allow more snow to accumulate and melt due to the increased sunlight exposure caused by reduced canopy cover; the result is moderate and extreme floods are both becoming increasingly more common. For indigenous communities, these findings resonate deeply. They recognize the importance forests bring as natural infrastructure by regulating water flow, soil stability, and habitat quality; all crucial to a healthy forest landscape. By showing that deforestation and clearcutting can significantly escalate flood risks across watersheds, the research supports a more integrated approach to forestry management, one that Indigenous knowledge systems have long advocated. Armed with empirical evidence that more substantial forest cover mitigates flood risks, Indigenous communities can further assert the importance of their stewardship models. These findings challenge the top-down industrial forestry paradigm and underscore the urgent need for policy shifts, which we will discuss in the next section.
Contemporary Policy and Conservation Efforts
A striking contemporary example of the shifting landscape in Canadian forest management can be found in British Columbia’s Fairy Creek watershed, where a local and highly public battle has unfolded over the fate of old-growth forests. In 2021, protesters blocked logging roads and set up camps to prevent the forestry company Teal-Jones from cutting old-growth trees on southern Vancouver Island (The Narwhal). This confrontation quickly grew into one of Canada’s largest acts of civil disobedience, resulting in over a thousand arrests and igniting a national conversation about old-growth protection and land rights. As the blockades intensified, pressure mounted on the provincial government to address the underlying issues: the ongoing loss of ancient forests, the need to honour Indigenous rights and titles, and the communities growing concern about the old growths. After RCMP raids and over 1,000 arrests, the Government of British Columbia in June 2021 recognized a request from the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations to defer logging in parts of the Fairy Creek watershed and other areas that inhabit old growths for at least two years (The Narwhal). This small win for the grassroots movement did not end after that, though. Fast forward to 2023, the protest group ‘Savage Patch’, a group of indigenous-led activists, continued its efforts, one activist stating “I think most of us aren’t against logging in general — we’re against clear-cutting, we’re against the cutting of ancient forests,” (Fagan). This contention is fair, but was this strategy the best path for the Indigenous bodies trying to reclaim their sovereignty? For some, maybe not.
Elected leaders from the Pacheedaht First Nation made it clear that they wanted their chance to manage their lands on their own terms; without the interference from outside blockaders or corporate interests (Fagan). This highlights the nuanced reality: Indigenous communities are not monolithic. Some align with and support protestors seeking immediate halts to logging, while others prefer to re-establish their forestry management frameworks, possibly including some form of sustainable logging while cooperating with corporations and possibly reaping monetary rewards in the process. These tensions reflect a broader truth that reclaiming Indigenous stewardship does not automatically mean a blanket ban on all forestry activities. It means putting decision-making back where it belongs; into the hands of those whose cultural identities, traditions, and historical knowledge of the land equip them to be the best stewards of resources (The Narwhal). Even as legal battles continue, Teal-Jones has appealed the initial injunction ruling, and some protestors face ongoing legal challenges; Fairy Creek highlights the need for genuine partnerships between First Nations and western governing bodies (The Narwhal).
Case Studies
A prominent example of indigenous-led initiatives demonstrating the benefits of TEK-informed forest management can be found on Haida Gwaii, where the Haida nation has established the Haida Heritage Site (Haida Heritage). A Haida Heritage most commonly refers to Gwaii Haanas, an ecologically protected portion of the southern portion of Haida Gwaii (Haida Heritage). After years of negotiation, the Haida secured co-management authority over the forests of Haida Gwaii. Using their cultural knowledge, they halted unsustainable logging, protected old growths crucial for local black bear subspecies and seabird colonies, and essentially restored ecological integrity to the land that was once threatened by profit-incentivized exploitation. Today, Haida-led monitoring programs track biodiversity indices and ensure that any resource extraction activities align with cultural stewardship principles (Haida Heritage). Over in eastern Canada’s Ontario boreal forest, several First Nations are co-managing arrangements prioritizing caribou conservation. As discussed above, woodland caribou in Quebec and BC are a threatened species that require expansive forests and have suffered due to forest fragmentation (Johnson et al, and Dossa & Miassi). In one initiative, a First Nation-led program combined Western scientific population modelling with time-tested traditional indicators like animal tracks, antler sheds, and berry patch amounts to effectively guide where selective logging is appropriate (Carlson et al, and Dossa & Miassi). A good balance of harvesting and wildlife protection can coexist, recent evidence is showing that caribou numbers are remaining more stable in these carefully managed landscapes. Although each region’s ecological and cultural context is unique, the principle and long-term vision is universally applicable. This is a sign that Indigenous stewardship is the way forward for a healthier, brighter future.
“The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has a sacred, legal obligation to protect, defend, and steward the water, land, air, and resources in the territory. The stewardship obligation includes to responsibility to maintain and restore conditions that enable the community to thrive.”
Tsleil-Waututh Nation
If there is something to take away from this article and tell your family about, its this: Canada’s forests are more than economic assets, they are vital living systems that support immense amounts of biodiversity, indigenous cultural identity, and environmental stability. Through this article, we’ve seen how deforestation results in habitat fragmentation, destabilizes wildlife populations, and how clear-cut logging practices elevate flood risks. We also looked at the Fairy Creek controversy on Vancouver Island and what it means for stewardship negotiations going forward, answering how we can come to a balance that works for both nature and humanity. We saw how the Council of the Haida Nation agreed with the Canadian Government to co-manage national parks and heritage sites. Against this backdrop, Indigenous stewardship emerges as a viable, time-tested alternative to current destructive practices. The shift toward recognizing and empowering Indigenous land governance is not just about “doing better” environmentally; it’s about acknowledging centuries of proven stewardship and redefining what sustainable forest management can look like. Now, a new path is clear: one where indigenous knowledge, ecological science, and a long-term commitment to Canada’s forests set us up for a healthier future.
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