Chapter 48 - Whitefeather Forest, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The Whitefeather Forest is located within the ancestral lands of Pikangikum First Nation in the far north of northwestern Ontario. This is a large, intact, boreal forest with little or no industrial footprint. This management unit is unique in Ontario in that its forest management plan successfully merges the indigenous knowledge of Pikangikum First Nation with the science-based legislated direction of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. This unique collaboration provides for increased economic opportunities for the people of Pikangikum based on their ancestral stewardship responsibilities and traditional land-use values. The development of the forest management plan has had its challenges. Specifically, the merging of traditional knowledge with western science with respect to a Dynamic Caribou Harvest Schedule proved to be quite difficult. The downturn in the forest industry in northwestern Ontario has also been a major challenge facing the implementation of the Whitefeather Forest management plan. In spite of the difficulty in implementation, this plan is significant because it provides the potential for economic improvement for Pikangikum First Nation as well as a framework for collaboration between the Ministry of Natural Resources and other First Nations communities.