The Nakusp and Area Community Forest’s (NACFOR) mandate is to deliver long-term social,
economic, and environmental benefits to Nakusp and the area through the management of forest
lands. Over the past several years, there has been increasing downward pressure on the
managed community forest land base. Consequently, NACFOR has engaged in a strategic Land
Base Initiative with the goal of maintaining or increasing the working forest land base under
NACFOR management. The success of this initiative will further enable local land stewardship,
self-sufficiency, and the ability to continue to deliver benefits to the community. As part of an
updated Strategic and Business Plan, this initiative was identified as one of the long-term goals
of NACFOR alongside facilitating Wildfire Risk Reduction treatments around Nakusp and trying
to enhance local forest product manufacturing.
Maintaining an adequate land base under long-term sustainable management is central to
delivering on this mandate, from which benefits flow over time to the community. The Land
Base Initiative helps to deliver on this. It is a two-pronged approach looking at acquisition and
management of both crown and private forest land.
As part of this initiative, NACFOR recently purchased approximately 200 hectares of land east of
Alexander Road on the flank of Mt. Jordan, unsubdivided forest-land in five large separate
parcels, previously owned by the Nakusp Greenscapes investor group. The land purchase was
made possible through project financing between NACFOR and Columbia Basin Trust.
This land will diversify and enhance the Community Forest land base, providing some security in
the overall managed land base and offering many future multi-use opportunities.
In addition to growing trees sustainably over the long term, the land purchase will allow secure
access to Nakusp Hot Springs trailhead and parking lot, making backcountry use more accessible
to the public. Over the next year, the land will have imagery, mapping, and timber inventory
updated, and long-term planning will commence. It will offer opportunities for new trails and
connectivity with other existing trail systems. The land is well-positioned to undergo Wildfire
Risk Reduction treatments to help protect nearby land from the threat of wildfire.
NACFOR has occupied a unique role in the community since its founding, delivering various
benefits over the years: economic, social, and environmental. By incorporating this land into
the management of the community forest, NACFOR can more securely continue to provide
benefits to Nakusp and area, now and into the future.
