Swedish Delegations Takes Interest In Model Forest

Swedish Delegations Takes Interest In Model Forest

Thursday, March 03, 2005 at 14:43

A number of rural leaders met in Prince Albert yesterday to study the issue of how clear-cutting is affecting wildlife near their community.

What made this meeting unique, however, is that most of the people that attended the meeting came from Sweden.

They are in Saskatchewan to study Canada’s model forest network, and how First Nations and other groups are working with industry to limit the effects of logging on the environment.

Coron Bear is the mayor of a village in Sweden’s north-central region.

She says many of her citizens are being affected by clear-cutting, as it is driving away the reindeer herds they harvest to make a living.

Bear adds there are two sawmills near her community, as well, which makes the issue of logging is highly political one.

She says many of the concepts woven into the forestry agreements between Weyerhaeuser and the Woodland Cree bands are ones she hopes her community will adopt.