In the fall of 2022 a team from the Mother Tree Network completed a field study of each of the harvests to date in the Cortes Community Forest. Led by Dr. Suzanne Simard, forest ecology professor at the University of British Columbia, the Mother Tree Project brings together academia, government, forestry companies, research forests, community forests and First Nations to identify and design successful forest renewal practices.
The study objective was to examine how recent harvesting systems as well as older clearcutting and planting have affected tree carbon stocks, forest structure, regeneration, understory plant communities, and the forest floor. The draft report on the study is available here:
The community forest is continuing to work with the Mother Tree Network on the harvest plans for the upcoming five year plan. Stay tuned for opportunities to hear about this ongoing collaboration, likely later on in the fall of 2023.