Inviting southern Thompson Okanagan residents to help guide forest management

Press Release

May 20, 2026

KAMLOOPS –

Summary

• Local residents in southern Thompson Okanagan are invited to provide input through a public survey and seven open houses to help guide the development of the Thompson River Watersheds Forest Landscape Plan
• The plan is being developed in partnership with First Nations to support forest stewardship, sustainability and community priorities
• Feedback will help inform future forest-management decisions in the region

Residents in Kamloops, Clearwater, Barriere, Chase, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Ashcroft and surrounding areas are invited to share their input on the development of the Thompson River Watersheds Forest Landscape Plan  to guide forest-management decisions in the area.

People can share their thoughts through a survey that will run from Wednesday, May 20, until July 20, 2026. The Thompson River watersheds plan team will also hold seven open houses and one virtual open house so people can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions.

Open house details are as follows:

Date: June 1, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Dutch Lake Community Centre
209 Dutch Lake Rd.
Clearwater

Date: June 2, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: The Ridge Gym
4936 Barriere Town Rd.
Barriere

Date: June 3, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Chase Community Hall
547 Shuswap Ave.
Chase

Date: June 4, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Little Mountain Fieldhouse
250 30 St. SE
Salmon Arm

Date: June 8, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Coldstream Community Hall
9909 Kalamalka Rd.
Coldstream

Date: June 9, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Kamloops Kia Lounge, Sandman Centre
300 Lorne St.
Kamloops

Date: June 10, 2026
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Ashcroft Community Hall
409 Bancroft St.
Ashcroft

Date: June 15, 2026
Virtual Town Hall
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81380867582?pwd=dNBGrsi4ZtaR9Xqx1lSCDcoXx6P6JL.1

First Nations and community engagement

Forest landscape plans are being developed through collaborative planning with First Nations and engagement with forest licensees, local communities and other stakeholders in each local area.

Representatives from 17 First Nations communities within the Secwépemc, Nlaka’pamux, Syilx and St’át’imc Nations have partnered with the province on the Thompson River watersheds plan.

Engagement with other First Nations in the area continues through access to an open planning table, an established consultation process to ensure there are ongoing opportunities for dialogue and input.

Engagement with forest licensees, subject-matter experts and the public is a key part of every plan. This engagement ensures that operational expertise from forest licensees is incorporated into plan development alongside First Nations’ interests and community-identified values.

Through the initial engagement process with First Nations and industry stakeholders, key themes have emerged that will be integrated into the survey for public feedback to reflect community priorities.

Once feedback is received, the next step is to incorporate feedback into the forest landscape plans itself.

Developing forest landscape plans is a new approach to forest stewardship that establishes clear direction for the management of forest-related values, such as old forests, biodiversity, ecosystem health, climate change, watershed health and wildfire risk.

Through collaborative planning and improved stewardship tools, these plans ultimately increase the stability and predictability of a sustainable timber supply to support communities and the forest industry.

Media attending:

Media wanting to attend open houses are requested to register via the contact information below.

Quick Facts:

• B.C. has 15 forest landscape tables that are at various phases of planning, representing 42% of the area intended for forest landscape plans.
• Forest landscape plan design is guided by five key objectives:
  1. manage the values placed on forest ecosystems by First Nations
  2. support the protection and conservation of the environment
  3. support production and supply of timber in the forest landscape area
  4. manage the values placed on ecosystems by local communities
  5. prevent, mitigate and adapt to effects caused by significant disturbances to forests and forest health

Learn More:

• To learn more about the Thompson River Watersheds forest landscape plans and provide feedback through the survey, visit: https://planninginpartnership.ca/p/68cb3cde0f76fc0021ac53b9/commenting
• To learn about sustainable forest stewardship and forest landscape plans in B.C., visit:
  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/forest-landscape-plans

Contact:

Ministry of Forests
Media Relations
Forest.Media@gov.bc.ca
250-380-8491

ILR5