Faces of Forestry is an initiative of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) to highlight people doing great work to enhance our forests throughout British Columbia. This month, we feature Angela French, Planning and Development Supervisor at Creston Community Forest (CCF).
Angela started her academic journey with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of the Fraser Valley.
“I grew up in rural Aldergrove, where I was always drawn to nature,” Angela explained, adding, “As my academic career progressed, I realized that to be sustainable in health and happiness as an individual, I needed to be more connected to nature again.” This led her to her next path of obtaining a Forest Technologist diploma from Selkirk College. She is currently completing a Masters of Sustainable Forest Management at the University of British Columbia, progressing towards becoming a Registered Professional Forester (RPF).
Angela moved to the West Kootenays 11 years ago, which brought her closer to nature and gave her the opportunity to explore a career in forestry.
“The consistent challenge of being a part of a positive change in forest management keeps me mentally and physically engaged, as well as emotionally and spiritually connected to nature,” she added.
Angela began working as the Planning and Development Supervisor at CCF in August 2023. Here, she focuses on planning and on-the-ground implementation to achieve the community forest’s strategic objectives and meet its 25,000 m3 annual allowable cut (the amount of timber that is permitted to be cut annually from a particular area).
For planning purposes, Angela further analyzes the many factors on the land base that meet their objectives as a community forest. This includes utilizing LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data to determine terrain, slopes, tree heights, density and volumes, and vegetative polygons, overlaid by the legal spatial data that CCF manages for water, wildlife, species at risk, cultural heritage, terrain stability, forest health, recreation, and more.
In addition, she is working on incorporating climate adaptation strategies into their timber supply scenarios for long-term ecosystem resilience plan.
Angela is continually working on incorporating Indigenous values and perspectives into the community forest’s day-to-day operations to manage the forest from this holistic perspective led by ecosystem and climate resiliency as the key indicators of success.
“I am working on spanning boundaries by incorporating more Ktunaxa Forestry Standards into CCF’s planning and development; engaging hydrologists and Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band) to plan for hydrometric [water] flow stations in our watersheds; partnering with Wildsight [company] to explore the world of biomass and fibre utilization through biochar [bio-energy]; and continuing the work as a co-founder of the Creston Valley FireSmart Resiliency Committee to ensure that the Creston Valley has a coordinated plan to reduce the risk of wildfires,” she mentioned.
Angela has a long-standing history of collaboration with FESBC, having worked as the Wildfire Mitigation Supervisor for the Regional District of Central Kootenays to implement forest fuel reduction treatments and a prescribed (intentional) burn in Selous Creek near Nelson, B.C., as well as a wildfire risk reduction treatment near Queens Bay.
Working with CCF, Angela is also helping complete a landscape-level fuel break (to slow down approaching wildfires) on Goat (Arrow) Mountain, north of the Town of Creston, while starting up new projects throughout the Wildland Urban Interface within and adjacent to the community forest’s operating boundaries.
“I have hopes of incorporating cultural (Indigenous) and prescribed burning more in the coming years as treatment efficacy is most amenable with the re-introduction of fire in a controlled environment (to safely allow for more natural and Indigenous wildfires). I am also working toward accessing support for increased fibre utilization (use more wood waste) within our operations, perhaps under the biochar lens, as that project progresses,” she explained.
As the newest member of the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) Board of Directors, Angela is excited to delve into advocacy, policy, and advancing community forestry initiatives. She strongly believes that community forestry embodies how forestry should be done in British Columbia.
“Working with the community and partners that surround it to ensure ecological and community sustainability by keeping logs and jobs in the community, and fostering the cultural understanding that long-term resiliency is all that matters, is the epitome of forestry,” she said.
Throughout her career, Angela’s goal is to continue reducing the risk of wildfire on a landscape level through collaboration and innovation, building relationships with First Nations partners to implement cultural resiliency within the forest industry, enhancing ecosystem resilience as the common thread for all decisions, and transition to a closed carbon cycle within the local context.
“Forestry can feel like this massively complex beast of legislation, decision-making guidelines, competing values and critical feedback, and it is, but in the end, what it comes down to is that as forest professionals, we are the lucky ones that get to be the lead detective on the case of figuring out how to best steward the forests we are mandated to manage,” she expressed. “We get to be the ones that wake up and look at a forest and see more than just the trees.”
Beyond her role at CCF, Angela and her partner Mel run Clutch Farm, a small commercial market garden in Salmo, B.C., which they started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help provide food security to the local community and build towards a regenerative, carbon-negative cycle.
Thank you, Angela, for your passionate work in advancing community forestry, your commitment to integrating Indigenous values, and your tireless efforts to enhance forest management.