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.
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.
Anastasia Hewat, Director
Anastasia was born in the Siberian region of Russia. She obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Khakassia in 2005. After graduating she worked for a local power company. She moved to Nakusp in 2013 after marrying her husband, Bryan. Together they have two boys Daniel and Hudson who keep her busy with various sports and activities. Anastasia also has many hobbies such as mushroom picking, ice fishing, and making pierogies. She joined the NACFOR Board of Directors in March 2020 to better understand the processes involved with the forest industry and also the funding it provides the community.
Darlene Adair, Treasurer
Darlene was born and raised in Port Colborne, Ontario near Niagara Falls. She worked as a civilian for the Niagara Regional Police before retiring in 2011. She and her husband of 44 years, Bud, retired to Nakusp around 2010 and one of their daughters lives in Nakusp, the other in Kelowna, and their son lives in Nelson. Darlene worked part-time as the admitting clerk at the Arrow Lakes Hospital until retiring in July 2019. She currently also volunteers for the local Meals on Wheels program and the Better at Home program. Her loves are going for walks, bicycling, kayaking, painting, and visiting her children and grandsons. Darlene joined the NACFOR Board of Directors in March 2020.
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.
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.
Jennifer Erlendson, Director
Jennifer joined the board in January 2023; full bio pending.
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 contact us.
NACFOR Management:
True North Forestry Consulting Ltd. of Nakusp, is currently the managing contractor of Nakusp and Area Community Forest. True North Forestry Consulting has been in operation since 1991. They offer a fully integrated range of services including Cutting Permit Development, Timber Assessment and Valuation, and Forest Management including Woodlot Licenses and Community Forest Agreements. True North Forestry Consulting has been the planning and forest operations manager of NACFOR since 2008.
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:
Hugh Watt, BSF, RPF – General Manager – Business management, log marketing, operations guidance, forestry planning, contractor liaison, NACFOR key individual.
Frances Swan, RPF – Operations Manager – Forestry planning, silviculture management, lead on PR and communications strategies.
Erin McLeod, BSc, BIT, FIT – Senior Technician – Environmental monitoring and best management practices development, operational planning for forest harvesting and development.
Beth McLeod, BSc – Office Manager – Business management support, board support, donations program administrator.
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, communications tracking, and public engagement.
True North Forestry Consulting Ltd. 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.
