The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District is hoping to meet with Mosaic Forest Management and the Province of British Columbia about drafting an agreement to provide public access to private lands.
Rob Williams, general manager of environmental services for the ACRD, said during a board meeting on Wednesday, July 24 that ACRD staff met with Mosaic staff in March 2019 to discuss recreational access to Mosaic lands in the Alberni Valley. Mosaic is interested in having further dialogue, and the ACRD is interested in drafting a tri-partnership agreement with Mosaic and the province in order to provide public access.
READ: Access agreements with Mosaic could solve forested land conflicts
The specifics of this agreement, said Williams, are still to be determined.
“First we would engage with the two parties and see if there’s interest,” he said.
Over the past few years, the public in the Alberni Valley has expressed concern with the lack of access to recreational land surrounding in the Valley. Access to Mosaic lands are typically restricted by locked gates, but some private forest roads are the only access to public recreation areas, such as Mt. Arrowsmith Regional Park.
The ACRD currently holds licence agreements with Island Timberlands for the Alberni Inlet Trail and Lakeshore Trail, but Williams said Mosaic is looking to broaden this to include other properties.
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Mosaic was formed in the fall of 2018 after TimberWest and Island Timberlands signed an affiliation agreement to share roads, co-ordinate safety and stewardship and align best practices. TimberWest and Island Timberlands continue to be stand-alone companies, but now share corporate services.
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