Under the Jobs and Timber Accord, government committed to design and pilot a new community forest tenure to increase the direct participation of communities and First Nations in the management of local forests and to create sustainable jobs.

Acting on this commitment, the Minister of Forests in December 1997 appointed a Community Forest Advisory Committee (CFAC) to make recommendations on the features of a community forest tenure, selection of community forest pilots and a process to monitor and evaluate the pilots. CFAC includes representatives from communities, First Nations, forest workers, industry, environmental groups and academia.

In January 1998, to provide government with a better sense of the nature and scope of community interest in community forestry, the Minister invited communities to submit formal expressions of interest to participate in the pilot project. More than 80 responses were received.

Largely on the basis of CFAC’s recommendations to the Minister, legislation was drafted to enable the piloting of a new community forest agreement. This legislation has since been brought into force.