A business operated through a partnership of three First Nations says the Ontario government has awarded it and two partners the contract to develop the next 10-year management plan for the 11,000-square-kilometre Ogoki Forest.
Agoke Development Limited Partnership (ADLP) says it is also in talks with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) about an interim arrangement that would allow it to take over management of the forest starting next April.
The Ogoki Forest is just east of Wabakimi Provincial Park and is about 400 km northeast of Thunder Bay.
The company said the forest management plan (FMP) will be developed together with GreenForest Management and Four Rivers Environmental Services Group.
It's expected the work on the new management plan, covering the period from 2020 to 2030, will take about 30 months to complete.
In a statement, ADLP said developing the FMP puts it in a good position to secure a meaningful role in Canada's Indigenous forestry sector.
"Our peoples have been living on the land since time immemorial. We know our traditional territory better than anyone else and as stewards of the land are taking sustainable forest management very seriously," said Agoke president Mark Bell.
Currently, out of some 31 forest management units in Ontario, fewer than 5 (including ADLP) are governed by Indigenous companies.
ADLP is comprised of members of Aroland, Eabametoong and Marten Falls First Nations.
Its statement noted that it has already been a participant in the preparation of the Ogoki Forest 2017-2018 Annual Work Schedule, and that it has successfully administered provincial road funding.
Since 2015, under provincial license, it has been harvesting fibre currently moving to the Longlac Lumber Inc. sawmill.
The statement said ADFLP is also working on a plan to restart the sawmill at Nakina.
In an email to Tbnewswatch.com on Thursday, a spokesperson for the MNRF confirmed it had awarded the joint venture of GreenForest Management Inc. and Agoke Development Ltd. a 3-year contract for writing the 2020-2030 FMP and related services for the Ogoki Forest management unit.
The statement added that the ministry looks forward to continuing discussions with Agoke on forest management planning.
