ABOUT US

Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd. (BLCF) is one of the largest community forests in British Columbia, managing approximately 91,500 hectares of Crown forest land with an Annual Allowable Cut of 194,226 cubic metres. A municipally owned corporation with the Village of Burns Lake as sole shareholder, BLCF generates annual revenues of approximately $18 million and distributes significant benefits to the community and First Nations partners.

We manage the K1A community forest license to the highest standard possible to protect present day cultural and historical values of First Nations, recreational activities and clubs, wildlife habitat, unique environmental features, community employment opportunities and long-term forest health and productivity. At BLCF we are a small group of professionals that oversee the day-to-day operations of harvesting and reforestation for the benefit of local people and long-term sustainability.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking a Woodlands Supervisor who will be responsible for day-to-day woodland operations. This will involve everything from initial planning through development, to harvesting and completion of silviculture activities. You ensure that all activities meet legislative, legal, and safety requirements as well as best management practices.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn and grow professionally. To be successful you will need to be able to work independently in an office and field environment. Teamwork is critical to this position; you will need to work respectfully with all stakeholders to reach agreements and find solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise woodland operations:

  • Planning and development

  • Road building and maintenance

  • Harvesting

  • Silviculture

  • Special Projects

• Ensure compliance with all legislation, safety and FSC certification requirements.

• Create a safe working environment for everyone including staff, contractors and the community.

• Support internal Safe Certification.

• Support internal record keeping and database management.

• Support annual reporting.

• Support special projects and community initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Minimum 2 years forestry experience.

• Valid class 5 drivers license with safe driving record.

Preferred:

• Registered or eligible to register with Forest Professionals BC as an RFT or RPF.

COMPENSATION

• Salary: $80,000 to $100,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

• Work Week: 40-hour work week.

• Benefits: Extended health and dental plans, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accidental death insurance and dependant life insurance.

• Vacation: 2 weeks annual vacation to start. Statutory holiday pay is included in salary.

• Professional Development: The Company supports and the employee is encouraged to develop and/or expand their knowledge and skills in relation to their job requirements.

EMPLOYMENT TERMS

This position is offered as a permanent position with a six-month probationary period.

LOCATION

Burns Lake is in BC’s beautiful Lakes District, offering exceptional fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. A welcoming community of approximately 1,800 people, Burns Lake provides quality schools, healthcare, and an outstanding quality of life for outdoor enthusiasts.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your resume and cover letter to:

Email: info@blcomfor.com
Subject line: Woodlands Supervisor

Applications will be reviewed beginning September 25, 2026. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is selected.

BLCF is committed to diversity and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including Indigenous peoples. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd. is an equal opportunity employer.

Invitation To: Community Forestry Contractor’s Engagement Session

Tuesday, September 17th, 2024
5:00PM – 8:00PM

To be held in Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd. Boardroom
153 Francois Lake Drive
Burns Lake, BC

Please RSVP to info@blcomfor.com or call 250-692-7724

We look forward to seeing you and sharing your input.

Forest Operating Map (FOM) Public Notification: One Cutting Permit Application

This letter is written in response to legislative changes brought forward in accordance with order in council 403/2023 (web search; OIC 403/2023), and subsequent provisions to the Forest and Range Practices Amendment Act coming to effect April 1st, 2024. These provisions introduce new planning requirements for forest stewardship plan holders-Namely a requirement for licence holders to publish their operating plans with approximate locations of new cublocks and roads, with estimate year of harvest.

The purpose of this letter is to confirm that the new regulatory requirements for publication of this information are already being met. 

The Burns Lake Community Forest continues to complete detailed 2-year operational plans, with 5-year development plans and 6–10-year landscape level strategic planning available, that is available for public review at our community forest office and regularly shared at community events such as: The Open House BBQ, Annual Fall Fair, throughout the year.

This package contains no new information. All proposed development, including the Landscape Fire Management Plan that was completed for Burns Lake Community Forest by B.A Blackwell and Associates is within the scope of the 5-year development plan info-sharing map previously shared and provided at community meetings as request by First Nations communities, and local stakeholders and interest organization. This information can be accessed through the
following link: https://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects#splash.

The public is encouraged to review and comments on proceedings. It is important to note that not all areas (shapes) will be clear cut or even harvested. Internal reserves, riparian features and retention areas in and around the proposed harvest shapes are not delineated on the FOM.

This FOM is open for commenting March 27th through April 26th, 2024, through the FOM portal. In addition, public comment and review during regular work hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays) or via private appointment at the following address and/or by sending your request to info@blcomfor.com is available and through our website and social media platforms.

The Burns Lake Community Forest will continue to abide by all Higher-Level Plan Resource Use Objectives that have been set out for the Lakes North SRMP (2008) and the approved Forest Stewardship Plan, as well as our current Management Plan. These objectives and documents address values for cultural heritage resources as well as biodiversity, soils, wildlife, water, fish habitat, timber, and outdoor recreation.

Request For Proposal

IT Managed Services

ComFor Management Services Ltd. is looking for a qualified vendor capable of providing professionally managed IT support and services at its 153 Francois Lake Drive office.

Individuals and firms interested in providing these services should contact ComFor Management Services Ltd. to obtain a Request for Bid package. A complete RFP package is available via email by emailing to info@blcomfor.com, subject line: IT Managed Services RFP Package.

Bids for IT services will be accepted by ComFor Management Services Ltd. up to and including 3:00 p.m., April 5th, 2024. All bids must be submitted on the approved form and sealed in envelopes marked “Sealed Bid – IT Services” and directed to:

            ComFor Management Services Ltd.
            153 Francois Lake Drive
            P.O. Box 788
            Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0

Submission will also be accepted in digital format as a single combined PDF sent to info@blcomfor.com . Email receipt time stamp must be before 3:00pm. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

ComFor Management Services Ltd. reserves the right to reject any or all bids. For more information on this contract opportunity, contact ComFor Management Service Ltd. at (250) 692-7724 or email at info@blcomfor.com

Replacement K1A- Forest Stewardship Plan (2023-2028)

Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd is proposing a replacement Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) for the K1A License. This is initiated by Burns Lake Community Forest to meet legislative requirements.

The Proposed FSP communicated in 2021 and 2022, has been amended to include the landscape impacts of the Tintagel Fire complex. The new FSP is now ready for final ministry submission.

The final stage of implementation is to bring to fruition measurable and variable practice requirements in the replacement of the current Forest Stewardship Plan. In accordance with section 18 of the Forest and Range Practices Act, (FRPA) and section 20 of the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation (FPPR) and Management Plan #4-Forest Program Objectives for Public Consultation and Engagement, the FSP review period is available for public comment until February 18th, 2024. We have proposed a 90-day period to support extra time for review and comment.

This notice supports our communication and engagement around the proceedings of the community Forest K1A license and information is available during regular working hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays) or via a private appointment at the following address and/or by sending your request to info@blcomfor.com.

153 Francois Lake Dr, Burns Lake, BC

This communication will also be cross-posted through our Facebook page.

Please provide comments/questions to:
Frank Varga RPF
General Manager
Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd
250-692-7724 ext 109
info@blcomfor.com

As we close this calendar year, I’d like to reflect on the accomplishments of our Community Forest and review our successes and challenges that lie ahead.

First and foremost, we would like to express our deepest gratitude towards our community for their understanding and support through the 2023 fire season. We also want to thank everyone involved in this year’s firestorm to keep our communities safe. We were all challenged this year beyond our wildest imaginations, and our communities coming together is a testament of our resilience.

At the commencement of our fiscal year, for the first time in its history, we were in a position of operational certainty. We had officially commenced our 5-year harvest plan implementation and brought to completion our 6–10-year planning. The operational ‘total chance plan’ in the context of the new management plan (2020) and our allowable annual cut (2020) had for a moment, brought forth implementable fiber supply security. This was a humbling experience with a sense of pride and joy to finally get to the stage of seeing aspects of our work in the last 6 years come to fruition.

Unfortunately, it did not last long enough for a celebration, as the 2023 Fire season brought that to the forefront. The 2023 Fire season, in particular the Tintagel Fire Complex estimated at 90% within the community forest tenure area, will have profound impact to out fiber supply into the future.

With the support of our local ministry office, through our continued communication, collaboration, and the existing tenure administration designed for community forests, we pivoted to fire salvage. Similar to our dead pine salvage focus, this shift will help us defer the commencement of our 5 yr green harvest plan. After the 2023 fire season, this has become more important than ever!

If anything is certain in this industry, it is the constant change, the need to be adaptive, innovative and nimble. The ability to adjust your plans is essential for success. We will need your support now more than ever, as we tackle the challenges of developing new strategic focus to create fiber security for our community.

Even with the uncertainties brought about by the 2023 wildfire season, we have continued to focus on maintaining our core values and deepening our understandings of land management, reconciliation, and environmental stewardship. We continued our journey with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification and have been using any opportunity to educate and share the work of the FSC, and why we continue to maintain certification.

This past year we continued our efforts in landscape fire mitigation and prescribed fire activities and our efforts were confirmed when the Tintagel complex met up with some of our landscape fire works in Boer Mountain.

I want to acknowledge that such activities may bring about emotional strains in community members, and we want to assure everyone that we complete these activities with the intent of creating community safety and ecosystem resilience. Collectively, we need to recognize that we live in a fire-based ecosystem, and as such, our day-to-day life, and our forest management must reflect strategies that support this frequent landscape disturbance.

We continued our efforts in making education and communication a priority of the BLCF. Our Journalism student continued working on growing our public relations via social media as well as planning events to increase student engagement and awareness of the career opportunities that exist in natural resources management.

Due to the Tintagle Fire, we took our 10th annual BBQ event on the road by cooking and delivering the food purchased to the firefighters and contractors working the frontline.

Your Board of Directors is a dedicated team of volunteers coming from diverse backgrounds that represent all aspects of our community. I encourage you to meet them and discuss the strategic direction of BLCF. I continue to emphasize our focus on long-term strategic goals “beyond the beetle” and my goal is to continue demonstrating the important social fabric that BLCF has in our community. These goals are meant to support the long-term prosperity of Burns Lake Community Forest and all the benefits it brings to our communities.

I want you all to join me in celebrating our successes and support us in the upcoming challenges we will be facing. I encourage community members to explore all that BLCF does in our community and to support us staying on the path of success.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via info@blcomfor.com or via phone (250) 692-7724 to schedule a specific time to discuss matters that are important to you, or follow us on all Social Media @BurnsLakeCommunityForest to learn more!

On behalf of the Board and staff of Comfor Management Services Ltd. and Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd., I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Frank Varga RPF
General Manager
Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd
COMFOR Management Services Ltd

BLCF’s Commitment to Sustainable Forestry

The Burns Lake Community Forest (BLCF) is committed to practicing sustainable forestry. This commitment flows through all aspects of BLCF, harvesting, hauling, silviculture, and forest management. But what is sustainability and what does it look like within a community forest. Sustainability is a social goal pertaining to our inhabitance of our Earth. This means fulfilling our needs as of right now, along with looking into the future to fulfill the needs of the next generation. Sustainability is balanced upon three pillars in forestry management: ecological, economical, and socio-cultural. There are many things to consider when building sustainable forest management plans, in forestry ecological sustainability is at the forefront but BLCF is equally committed to all pillars.

BLCF cares so deeply about the forest within the K1A License. This past year BLCF generated approximately 17,653 employment hours in silviculture and 6,812 employment hours in forest management. BLCF continues to put in the hours to undertake ongoing efforts in many stretches of sustainability; incorporating strategies for climate change, considering and incorporating forest health strategies, and designing and incorporating enhanced reforestation activities to support a diverse and more fire-resistant ecosystem and a sustainable forest industry for generations.

BLCF has prioritized the economic pillar to further benefit the Community of Burns Lake. This is done through job creation, fibre utilization and strategic planning, these priorities help manage our dead forests with fibre utilization being the key, this ties into the ecological pillar as dead forests do not create forests for our future. This management flows into our wildfire seasons as BLCF recognizes the benefits of putting fire back onto the land base, while protecting our community and timber supply.

Dead timber areas can benefit from the reset that fire brings, and harvested blocks flourish after a burn goes through. BLCF is committed to harvesting dead timber to prevent economical instability and promote ecological growth, while promoting job creation within our logging industry.

“In light of the catastrophic wildfire season upon us, it is important to remember that fire can be a good thing when professionally and strategically prescribed. The First Nations have used intentional fire on the land base since the beginning of time to satisfy medicinal, nutritional, cultural and protective objectives. This is not new Information but rather historical information that many current forest management practices have overlooked.”            
– Crystal Fisher, Burns Lake Community Forest President

BLCF is dedicated to increasing knowledge around sustainable resource values and has invested more than $2,000,000 to ensure the sustainability of the community forest to support the area. This investment will only grow as BLCF undertakes future innovative and environmental value assessments to the land base. BLCF is committed to Implementing First Nations and engagement plans, incorporating First Nations stewardship principles into forest management, and ensuring land use plan objectives are incorporated.

BLCF can do this with a board of directors representing Ts’il Kaz Koh (Burns Lake Band,) Wet’suwet’en First Nation, The office of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, and the Public at Large. This pillar of sustainability is crucial to the Burns Lake Community Forest and will continue to grow and develop.

“It is in everyone’s best interest to manage our forests from a collaborative approach. The Burns Lake Community Forest continues to prioritize First Nations true and meaningful partnership on the K1A license which provides us with the education required to practice sustainable forestry.”

Crystal Fisher, Burns Lake Community Forest President

The Burns Lake Community Forest is held accountable to these sustainability goals by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification held by BLCF since 2009. FSC is guided through 10 principles – to obtain this certification, BLCF has met all ten: Compliance with laws, worker’s rights and employment conditions, community relations, benefits from the forest, Indigenous People’s rights, environmental values and impact, management planning, monitoring and assessment, high conservation values, and implementation of management activities. This certification pushes BLCF to create sustainable forest management plans and has held BLCF accountable for these plans. The Burns Lake Community Forest is one of two FSC Certified Community Forests in BC.

BLCF wanted to create something symbolizing their continued efforts to practice sustainable forestry. When choosing a symbol, BLCF couldn’t imagine a better symbol than the trees of the Burns Lake Community Forest. Each tree represents one of the four trees planted within BLCF annually: the Western Larch, the Hybrid Spruce, the Lodgepole Pine, and the Douglas Fir. Every tree planted represents BLCF’s commitment to growing forests for our future, these trees are the embodiment of sustainability and will be the backbone for generations to come. Please join us in representing the #ForestsForOurFuture

Good Morning,

Please see below for road restrictions due to the wildfires around our community.

It is extremely important that we adhere to these restrictions, professionals are working hard to protect our community, and experience difficulty with people driving on roads they are actively working on.

We understand the urge to go look at wildfires however, they are dangerous, these road restrictions are to keep the public safe and to allow space for our hardworking heroes to do their jobs.

Thank you for your understanding.

The Burns Lake area and in particular Boer Mountain experienced a severe windstorm in the fall of 2022. This windstorm brought down large tracks of large mature spruce trees through the mountain bike trail system within Boer Mountain. In collaboration with Ride Burns, Sites & Trails BC and The Ministry of Forest, we are working on developing a comprehensive strategic plan to action the areas of the blowdown. The focus will be the fall/winter of 2023. In the meantime please be advised that currently the trails are closed until qualified crews can complete proper and safe falling and tension removal of blowdown trees across the trail systems.

Please respect the closures by monitoring Trailforks App or Ride Burns’ social media for updates.

Please DO NOT take matters into your own hands and start clearing trails. Many of the trees have root wads under great tension and should only be felled and buck by a certified and qualified feller.

As we come to the end of the 2022 year, we love to look back at this year’s challenges and accomplishments at the Community Forest.

With things returning closer to normal we are proud of the
growth that BLCF has achieved in this calendar year. From our communication, prescribed burn, educational opportunities, donations, and so much more. We would like to express our deepest gratitude towards our community for their understanding and support during these recent strides that the BLCF has taken this past year.

With the growth of the BLCF we have focused on maintaining our core values and deepening our understandings of land management, reconciliation, and environmental stewardship. We have maintained our Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification and have been using any opportunity to educate and share the work of the FSC and why we choose to maintain certification with them.

Our growth in 2022, brought continued accomplishments for our community. We continued our investment in sound stewardship of forested land- completing a landscape level martin and habitat assessments, followed by a multi-year field assessments of this habitat in collaboration with UBCO, lead by a Burns Lake Local, Brooklyn Maher. We have over 100 game cameras throughout the community forest examining the habitat use. We continue to focus our operational activities to utilize the dead fiber. This approach has helped us defer the commencement of our 5 yr green harvest plan, supporting our efforts to set a strong mid-term timber supply for Burns Lake Community Forest.

This past September we completed our first ever Prescribed Fire activity. A milestone in the province of BC and for the Burns Lake Community Forest. We worked with an amazing team from Shifting Mosaics and Northern Fire WoRx, and our local contracting team to complete this project. A prescribed fire takes a huge team of professionals to bring to fruition, fire specialists, fire fighters, forest professionals, and statutory decision makers. This team creates detailed planning for all aspects of a prescribed burn, site prep, ignition, mop – up, and post – ecological studies.

I want to acknowledge that such activities may bring about emotional strains in community members, and we want to assure everyone that we complete these activities with the intent of creating community safety and ecosystem resilience. As some of you may recall Burns Lake is #5 out of top 20 small communities in British Columbia at extreme risk due to hazardous fuels in around the community, and so this is top of mind for us at Burns Lake Community Forest. Collectively we need to recognize that we live in a fire-based ecosystem, and as such our day-to-day life, and our forest management must reflect strategies that support this frequent landscape disturbance.

It is important to re-emphasize that these efforts are for more than just the opportunity to harvest dead pine! It is about actions that bring about community safety, ecosystem restoration, and long-term community forest sustainability. At the core, it is a delicate balancing act between providing social and economic opportunities while ensuring we maintain and enhance ecosystem values.

This past year we have really pushed to make education and communication a priority of the BLCF. We hired our first Journalism student and have been working on growing our public relations via social media and planning events to bring up student engagement and awareness of the opportunities that exist in a career in natural resources management. Our first annual forestry themed job fair at our local high school was a huge success! We spoke to many students about the different aspects of forestry as well as giving them ideas
on planning their futures. Joining us was Free Growing Forestry and Tahtsa Group!

Continuing our efforts in public communication and engagement we held our 9th Annual Public Information Open House/Community BBQ. This event has grown from an opportunity to learn about community forest proceedings to a celebration of community successes. Thank you to everyone who attended and brought community spirit to the event. If you did not get the chance to attend, I want to encourage you to attend in future years.

There is a dedicate team of volunteers; your Board of Directors, coming from diverse backgrounds that represent all aspects of our community. I encourage you to meet them and discuss the strategic direction of BLCF. I continue to emphasize our efforts towards focused long-term strategic goals “beyond the beetle”. These goals are meant to support the long-term prosperity of Burns Lake Community Forest and all the benefits it brings to our communities. My goal is to continue emphasizing and demonstrating the important social fabric that BLCF has in our communities.

I want you all to join me in celebrating our successes and in helping to manage the upcoming challenges. I encourage all community members to explore all that BLCF does in our community and support BCLF stay on the path of success. I believe as a community forest; we are a top performing community forest in the province.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via info@blcomfor.com or via phone (250) 692-7724 to schedule a specific time to discuss matters that are important to you. Or follow us on all Social Medias @BurnsLakeCommunityForest to learn more!

On behalf of the Board and staff of Comfor Management Services Ltd. and Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd., I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Frank Varga RPF
General Manager
Burns Lake Community Forest Ltd
COMFOR Management Services Ltd