Progressive collaboration helps long-term fibre safety and financial improvement
The creation of the brand new licence introduced at present by the Authorities of
“As stewards of our lands since time immemorial, Lake Babine Nation has at all times acknowledged the deep duty we maintain in making certain our forests are managed with respect and sustainably. For Lake Babine Nation, forestry isn’t just an trade; it’s woven into our identification, our traditions, and our imaginative and prescient for the longer term. We take one other vital step ahead by formalizing our partnership with West Fraser—a collaboration that may deliver broader financial alternatives to our folks and area, whereas defending the integrity of our lands for future generations,” stated Chief Wilf Adam, Lake Babine Nation.
“This partnership embodies what is feasible when Indigenous information and fashionable forestry practices unite—making certain that our assets are used correctly, our group’s profit, and the environment stays intact. Our Nation has lengthy advocated for significant participation in useful resource administration in our territory. With this partnership, we’re making certain that our voices, experience, and priorities are central to decision-making. By working alongside West Fraser, we’re fostering a relationship constructed on mutual respect and shared targets—one that may strengthen our financial alternatives and safe a sustainable future for Lake Babine and the area as an entire,” Adam added.
To allow the creation of the brand new tenure, West Fraser contributed parts of its licence quantity held within the Bulkley and Morice Timber Provide Areas, to assist create a significant area-based licence. Further quantity was made obtainable by way of the Authorities-held, BC Timber Gross sales, serving to improve the licence’s scope and potential affect.
“I wish to congratulate the Lake Babine Nation on what we now have been in a position to construct collectively,” stated Sean McLaren, President and CEO of West Fraser. “This milestone acknowledges Lake Babine Nation’s function because the useful resource steward in its conventional territory and displays our shared dedication to sustainable forestry. By working collectively, we’re serving to deliver better stability to the forest sector — for our and Lake Babine Nation’s staff, contractors and companies all through the area.”
“This achievement wouldn’t have been doable with out the management and the help of presidency,” McLaren added. “By recognizing the significance of fibre safety and Indigenous Partnerships, the Province helps safe the way forward for B.C.’s forest sector.”
West Fraser will present forest stewardship providers to LBN Forestry to help the administration of the brand new area-based licence, in alignment with the Nation’s stewardship values and imaginative and prescient for its conventional territory.
The licence introduced at present builds on two earlier agreements: a Joint Growth Settlement (JDA) signed in April 2024, and a Log Provide and Forest Administration Settlement (LSFMA) signed in January 2025.
“This can be a vital forestry partnership in
About West Fraser
West Fraser is a diversified wooden merchandise firm with greater than 50 amenities in
About Lake Babine Nation
Lake Babine Nation is without doubt one of the largest Indigenous nations in B.C., with over 2,500 members. Its Territory is centred round Babine Lake, the Province’s longest pure lake. Lake Babine has 5 communities: Wit’at (Fort Babine), Nedo’ats (Outdated Fort), Tachet, Donald’s Touchdown/Pinkut and Woyenne. The Lake Babine Nation Basis Settlement supplies a shared imaginative and prescient and high-level roadmap for implementing Lake Babine’s current rights, together with self-government, Aboriginal title and harvesting rights. Rising Lake Babine’s function in forestry and forest administration is a precedence beneath the Basis Settlement, and Lake Babine established its firm, Lake Babine Nation Forestry, in 2016 to pursue that goal. The corporate now has about 27 staff and is managed by Lake Babine member Duane Crouse.
Ahead-Trying Statements
This information launch comprises statements and data that represent “forward-looking info” or “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “ahead‑wanting statements”) inside the which means of relevant Canadian and United States securities legal guidelines. Ahead-looking statements embody statements which might be forward-looking or predictive in nature and are dependent upon or check with future occasions or circumstances. We use phrases equivalent to “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates”, “seeks”, “intends”, or unfavourable variations thereof and different comparable expressions, or future or conditional verbs equivalent to “could”, “will”, “ought to”, “would”, and “might”, to establish these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements embody, amongst different issues, the flexibility to deliver better stability to the forest sector for our and Lake Babine Nation’s staff, contractors and companies all through the area and expectations as to long-term fibre safety and Indigenous Partnerships as a path to securing the way forward for the forest sector. Any such forward-looking statements are based mostly on info presently obtainable to us and are based mostly on assumptions and analyses made by us contemplating our expertise and our notion of historic developments and present circumstances and are topic to inherent dangers and uncertainties together with the expectations and assumptions regarding the legal guidelines and rules which can apply to our enterprise, our potential to draw and retain expert staff to implement our plans, modifications in legal guidelines and governmental rules, together with the evolution of forest coverage and stewardship, normal enterprise and financial circumstances and the longer term operation and monetary efficiency of the Firm typically. Readers also needs to check with the danger elements set forth within the Firm’s annual info type and administration’s dialogue and evaluation for the yr ended December 31, 2024, every dated February 12, 2025, as up to date in our quarterly experiences every now and then and different paperwork, obtainable at SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov/edgar). There might be no assurance that the plans, intentions, or expectations upon which forward-looking statements are based mostly can be realized. Precise outcomes could differ, and the distinction could also be materials and opposed to the Firm and its shareholders. Besides as could also be required by legislation, the Firm undertakes no obligation to publicly replace or revise any forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
