In August 2004, Westbank First Nation (WFN) entered into a five-year agreement with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests for a Community Forest Pilot Agreement.
The WFN Community Forest (WFN-CF) covers over 47,000 hectares in two parcels, one directly west of the communities of West Kelowna and Peachland and the other just northwest of Big White. The WFN-CF balances forest management with traditional use by the Westbank First Nation people for hunting, trapping, food gathering and spiritual use. This agreement entitles WFN to a defined area on which it may operate.
In 2005, the mountain pine beetle rapidly moved toward the community forest from the north and west, prompting Ntityix Resources LP to focus on harvesting stands containing more than 40 percent lodgepole pine. In January 2007, the annual allowable cut was increased to 85,000, then again to 90,100 cubic metres per year in 2012 to help address the growing mountain pine beetle issue. Following the salvage of beetle-killed stands in 2017, the annual cut dropped to 52,700m3/yr and upon adoption of our Seven Generation Plan to 38,700m3/year in 2026.
In July of 2009, WFN and the province of B.C. replaced the five-year pilot license with a 25-year Community Forest Agreement licence, renewable every 10 years. This longer-term license provides WFN with the security to undertake more long-term initiatives on the Community Forest.
In the fall of 2009, a second block, the Derickson Block, was added to the WFN-CF, located east of Kelowna, adjacent to the West Kettle River. The Derickson Block area has been used by WFN families for generations.