About Us
Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) is a BC corporation 100% owned by the Village of Nakusp, and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Its 25 year (replaceable) Community Forest Agreement with the BC government, licenses it to manage a forest land base of 9192 hectares and harvest an average of 20,000 cubic metres – about 500 truckloads of timber per year. Operations are carried out on a contract basis, primarily with local contractors. NACFOR has operated successfully since 2008 and delivered numerous benefits to the local community. NACFOR’s current strengths enable it to face increasing challenges in the forest industry and undertake new ventures for long-term sustainability. NACFOR is a part of the BC Community Forest Association. See a detailed description here of a BC Community Forest Agreement with the province of British Columbia. And, how community forests are contributing to rural-communities economy.
Board of Directors:
The Nakusp and Area Community Forest is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, composed of a diverse and representative cross-section of the community. Board members include a Village Council representative and the RDCK Area K Director (or their representative). Board members are appointed annually by the Nakusp Village Council.
The Board’s mandate is to provide governance and policy related to:
- Legal accountability
- Strategic goals and guiding principles
- Financial control
- Public consultation and conflict resolution processes
- Hiring of the management contractor
The Board meets monthly to discuss policy and current operations with NACFOR management.
From time to time, the NACFOR Board recruits new members. If you are interested in potentially serving on the NACFOR Board of Directors in the future, please complete an Expression of Interest form and submit it to the NACFOR office.
Board of Directors Include:
John Cann, President
John was born in Nakusp and has been a long-standing resident in the area. Over the years, he has volunteered his time and energy to many non-profit organizations. John was on the Board of Directors of the Nakusp Mud Racing Association for at least 14 years. The organization donated thousands of dollars to the Children’s Hospital, Arrow Lakes Hospital, Search and Rescue, and many other non-profit organizations in the community. John also spent many hours involved with the Nakusp Minor Hockey Association. Over the course of 15 years, he volunteered on the Board as Ice Manager and Referee in Chief, on the bench as team First Aid personnel, and spent many hours on the ice as a referee. John has worked in the forest industry for approximately 35 years in both ground-based and cable logging operations. For the last 27 years, John has been operating a feller-buncher. He is a second-generation logger, following in his father’s footsteps. John lives just outside of the Village of Nakusp with his wife Louella. They have two sons who are currently living in the Okanagan working in the trades of their choice. John joined the NACFOR Board of Directors in November 2013.
Patrick Judd, Director
Patrick grew up in the foothills of southern Alberta and during his university years, worked seasonally for the Alberta Forest Service. Skiing, canoeing, and fly-fishing kept Patrick engaged with the outdoors. He attended the University of Lethbridge, Notre Dame University in Nelson, and Gonzaga University in Spokane finishing a graduate degree in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Development. After retiring from a career in education that spanned 35 years in Arrow and Kootenay Lakes school districts, returning to Nakusp offered the outdoor environments that he enjoys the most. Among the highlights of his career were those opportunities to connect youth with nature. He is looking forward to supporting youth engagement through the Community Forest organization. Patrick joined the NACFOR Board of Directors in March 2020.
Jennifer Erlendson, Director
Jennifer joined the board in January 2023; full bio pending.
Teresa Weatherhead, RDCK Area K Director
Teresa joined the board in November 2022; as the RDCK Area K elected Director, she holds a seat on the NACFOR board; full bio pending.
Mason Hough, Village of Nakusp Council Representative
Mason joined the board in November 2022; as the Village of Nakusp Council Representative, he holds a seat on the NACFOR board; full bio pending.
Corrin Meither, Alternate Director
Corrin is the alternate director representative from the RDCK Area K.
NACFOR Management:
Cabin Resource Management of the West Kootenays and the Okanagan, is currently the managing contractor of Nakusp and Area Community Forest. Cabin has been in operation since 1996. Since starting, Cabin has grown from forestry development and operations in the southern interior into a multi-disciplinary company. They work across the province in forestry, remote sensing, wildfire, recreation, and environmental operations.
True North Forestry Consulting Ltd. was the planning and forest operations manager of NACFOR from 2008 to 2023.
NACFOR Management Team:
We use a team approach to the management of NACFOR. A team approach enables a broader skillset to be applied to NACFOR. It allows the ability to quickly scale staff to meet project demands. Workload permitting we also hire local summer students.
Management Team members are:
Mike Crone, RPF – Forestry Division Manager – Operational management and forest planning.
Erin McLeod, BSc, BIT, FIT – Senior Technician – Environmental monitoring and best management practices development, operational planning for forest harvesting and development.
Kathleen Ennis, CET – GIS Mapping Specialist – Planning and operational maps, data management, reporting on obligations.
Skye Cunningham, BAPC, DIJ – Communications Specialist – PR and communications strategies implementation, event planning and educational field trips, and public engagement.
Cabin Resource Management Website
NACFOR Operations:
The infographic below details how NACFOR aims to combine social benefit, sustainable forestry, the environment, fair governance, and economic benefits into operations.
