Vancouver Island First Nations gain control of three Clayoquot Sound forestry areas

Tyson Atleo, a hereditary leader of the Ahousaht First Nation, says the creation of three new forestry areas to be managed by his community and two others on the west coast of Vancouver Island marks the realization of a long-standing promise.

Atleo recalls assuring the community more than 15 years ago that “we would find a pathway forward to regaining control over some of our forest resources.”

The vision is to manage the forests of Clayoquot Sound, a globally recognized biosphere that includes Tofino, B.C., in a way that reflects the nation’s interest in ecological integrity and balance it with access to economic opportunity, he said.

The total combined area of the three new tree farm licenses is about 52,000 hectares, with Ahousaht set to manage about 33,000 hectares, Atleo said.

The areas were previously part of a single, larger licence with harvesting rights belonging to forest company MaMook Natural Resources.

The shift follows an agreement between the Ahousaht, Hesquiaht and Tla‑o‑qui‑aht First Nations along with the British Columbia government and MaMook, with financial support from the charity Nature United.

“It took beyond a decade to bring all four of those parties into mutual understanding for a pathway that could lead to results that everybody (was) comfortable with,” Atleo said, noting two other nearby First Nations were also involved in discussions.

“The forests company’s interests are of course to manage its assets for company value and, in this case, the other negotiating parties were able to present a deal or an offer that was appealing to the company” and its shareholders, he said.

The newly created areas are to be managed with governance systems, stewardship priorities and economic goals of the three First Nations.

“What we want to see is a more ecosystem-based forestry model and one where you aren’t just clear-cut logging, of course, but you are still generating economic and social value from timber resources,” Atleo said.

The area Ahousaht will manage includes cedar, spruce and hemlock trees, with some Douglas fir. It encompasses some old-growth and areas of cultural significance to the nation, but it has also seen “a lot of historical logging,” he said.

Ahousaht is to work with experts and advisers on a comprehensive strategy that centres on biodiversity, carbon storage and local opportunities, Atleo said.

“We’re not talking about huge volume forestry here. We’re talking about smaller scale, with high-quality results.”

Atleo said activities beyond harvesting could include restoration work, addressing what he describes as significant destruction of salmon habitat and slope destabilization from previous logging, along with potential for ecotourism.

Hesquiaht Chief Mariah Charleson said her nation must still consult community members on next steps for the new tree farm licence. “But when it comes down to it, it will be our people that make the decision together.”

It’s been exciting to see the opening of a road into the area that has been closed for some time, she said.

“It links our community members to harvesting our medicines … and connecting with portions of the territory that they haven’t been able to connect with in the last number of years.”

Charleson said huge portions of Hesquiaht territory have been affected by logging and that restoring access to the area would allow the nation to begin restoration work and, with it, create jobs for community members.

The new tree farm licences build on a 2024 agreement that saw the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations work with the province to protect about 76,000 hectares in the region, including old-growth forests at the centre of the so-called “War in the Woods” protests in the early 1990s.

Michael Reid, B.C. program director for Nature United, said he couldn’t share the dollar figure in the latest agreement. But his organization has contributed more than $40 million in recent years to support the First Nations’ visions, he said.

“The province has not been absent from the conservation financing side of this work,” he said. “But certainly the need far outweighs what’s currently available.”

Reid said he hopes the agreement can serve as a model for the provincial government, First Nations and forestry companies across B.C.

While the transfer of control of the Clayoquot Sound forests is a major milestone, Atleo said the celebration is “brief,” as there’s much work yet to be done.

“The historical logging practices have decimated riparian habitat and we’ve been left with a bit of a mess,” he said, adding partnerships with Nature United and the province have allowed the nation to undertake some of the cleanup.

“But there’s decades and decades and hundreds of millions of dollars of work still to be done to correct those liabilities that have been left behind by bad forest practices,” Atleo said.

“We have to go right to work.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press