Sub-activity 1.3.2

Forest-based Community Partnerships

Description

Weakened markets, increased global competition, and forest sector restructuring have led to mill closures, capacity reductions and job losses in forest-based communities across the country. As a result, communities are looking to diversify their economies by participating in a wide-variety of economic development opportunities arising from a transitioning forest sector. Through its Forest Communities Program and Aboriginal forestry project initiatives, Natural Resources Canada supports and facilitates community and regional-scale partnership projects and provides financial support to 11 forest-based community partnership organizations and to Aboriginal communities across Canada. The objective is to assist community partnership organizations in developing innovative knowledge products, tools and strategies so that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal forest-based communities may participate in and benefit from emerging economic opportunities. Projects contribute to capacity building and business development opportunities in areas such as biomass and bioenergy; non-timber forest products; local wood initiatives; and forest management.