Conservation & Sustainability
PRESERVATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Managing forest resources responsibly
Since its inception in 2010, Taan Forest’s mandate has been to manage the timber in Haida tenures in a sustainable manner by incorporating the values of Xaayda Haida citizens - including, cedar, salmon, black bear, plants, birds, and beaches.
Our best practices combined with our direction from the shareholder (Haida Nation) has kept our annual harvest well below the allowable volume.
Of the 624,351 hectares of available forest tenure lands, Taan Forest manages 193,092 hectares. Because of our advanced forestry practices, more than half of that area has been removed from harvest to aid the preservation of fish habitat, monumental cedars, heritage features, plants like devil’s club and fairy slippers, and to allocate for cedar stewardship areas and forest reserves. Taking away steep slopes, swampland, and alpine areas, Taan Forest operates in about 85,000 hectares of the Xaayda tenure.
Culturally responsible for our lands
By virtue of its Xaayda Haida ownership, Taan Forest strives to be a forestry industry leader that incorporates conservation and cultural awareness in its practices. Since the introduction of the Haida Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order in 2010, Taan Forest has evolved to protect the following features when planning cut blocks:
Cultural Preservation
Conservation of values in Cedar Stewardship Areas created through the Haida Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order to preserve cedar for present and future Xaayda Haida generations.
Identification and maintenance of heritage features such as village sites, culturally modified trees, shell middens, and canoe runs.
Maintaining traditional forest features such as devils club, fairy slipper, hellebore, crabapple, currents, western yew.
Maintaining monumental cedar for current and future Xaayda Haida use through the Cultural Wood Access Program.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Conservation and rehabilitation of sensitive watersheds by reducing harvest rate and timing allocation.
Management of upland stream areas by reducing harvest to 30%.
Protection of fish habitat areas by increasing riparian reserves.
Maintaining of rare ecosystems like forested swamps.
Stand-level retention of cedar by retaining 10% cedar in all harvest areas with greater than 30% cedar.
Ensuring Cedar sustainability by replanting yellow and red cedar.
Identifying and maintaining black bear dens.
Maintain Marbled Murrelet nesting habitat.
Maintain great blue heron, northern saw-whet owl, northern goshawk and other raptor nests and habitats.
sustainable harvesting of timber
Prior to the Haida Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order and Taan Forest management of the forest, the allowable limit for harvesting an area of 193,092 hectares was 802,868 cubic metres; this number was widely acknowledged to be unsustainable. Since 2010, Taan Forest has reduced its share of the annual harvest to 365,000 cubic metres a year and has managed the delicate balance of being an economic engine on Xaayda Gwaay.yaay Haida Gwaii while at the same time observing our cultural and environmental responsibilities.
In addition, Taan Forest has planted 1,652,646 trees, of which 768,481 are cedar, between 2010 and 2018.
Forest Management Certifications
Taan Forest is committed to ensure forest management activities are consistent with international sustainability benchmarks through voluntary third party forest management certification standards consistent with the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).
Applicable certification standards, as amended from time to time, include:
Small & Community Forest Standard | Forest Stewardship Council (fsc.org)
FSC® Requirements for Use of Trademarks for Certificate Holders
If you would like to learn about Taan’s High Conservation Value Assessment and Environmental Values Assessment please feel free to inquire via our website here - Contact Us.
CHAIN OF CUSTODY
Taan Forest is also committed to maintaining Chain of Custody (CoC) certification consistent with the FSC® standard to ensure a transparent tracking system from the certified forests through to the custom cut manufacturing facilities, allowing us to sell our logs and lumber products with the FSC® certification.
Salvage Wood Program
Taan Forest is committed to the sustainable management of its forest tenures. As such, we make every attempt to use as much of the tree as possible while meeting site coarse-woody-debris requirements. We hire local companies to help us salvage timber, including different grades of cedar and spruce.
We also purchase salvage wood from outside of Haida tenures from local contractors which helps economic development as well as making the best use of a renewable resource.
