INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING RESOURCES FOR SFI-CERTIFIED ORGANIZATIONS

As North America’s largest independent third-party forest certification standard, there are many benefits to SFI certification for Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led businesses. Learn more about the key differences between the three certification Standards and how they support different areas of focus for improved Indigenous Relations and increased Indigenous sovereignty.

SUPPORTING CERTIFICATION FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Do you collaborate with Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led businesses interested in forest sustainability certification?

• Explore resources for Indigenous communities and organizations that are not yet certified to the SFI Standard and are interested in learning more about SFI’s programs and services.
• Please contact Relations@forests.org to learn more about funding and in-kind Certification Readiness Supports to support Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led businesses in achieving a successful third-party forest certification audit.

SFI Forest Management Standard

The SFI Forest Management Standard is aligned with Indigenous values, including rights, knowledge, and environmental considerations. All organizations certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard must:

• Identify the Indigenous Peoples whose rights may be affected by the SFI-certified organization’s forest management practices;
• Determine the specific rights that may be affected by drawing on federal, provincial, state laws, and/or treaties and agreements between governments and Indigenous Peoples, and/or the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and
• Provide appropriate training so that all staff and contractors are competent to recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and traditional knowledge for the purposes of Objective 8.

MIITIGOOG LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Miitigoog Limited Partnership is a 100% First Nations-owned natural resource management company that has been certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard since 2011. Miisun utilizes an integrated resource management approach that respectfully incorporates First Nations traditional knowledge and values, and promotes public involvement to ensure a healthy, sustainable, and resilient working forest.

Watch a short 5-minute video to learn more about Miitigoog Limited Partnership and how SFI certification supports their sustainability goals.

SFI INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND FAMILIES MODULE

The SFI Indigenous Peoples and Families Module offers a pathway to SFI certification for individual forests or for a group of forests operating as a group under a single certificate. Both individual and co-certified forests require management plans that include long-term sustainable harvest levels and measures to avoid conversion to non-forest use.

K’ÓMOKS FIRST NATION

The working forest of Rosewall Forest Tenure Holdings Ltd. is jointly managed by the K’ómoks First Nation and Qualicum First Nation. In 2018, the Nations collaborated with TimberWest to pilot the SFI Indigenous Peoples and Families Module.

Designed to reach smaller communities and elevate the benefits of well-managed forests through collaboration and conservation, the SFI Indigenous Peoples and Families Module includes measures to broaden practices to address the conservation of biodiversity, the use of forestry best management practices to protect water quality, soil productivity and reforestation, and the use of forest management and harvesting professionals.

“Obtaining SFI certification is a good long-term decision for the benefit of our community and the future generations that will be managing the forests in the years to come.”
— Nicole Rempel, Chief of the K’ómoks First Nation

SFI URBAN AND COMMUNITY FOREST SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD

SFI recently collaborated with five urban forestry leaders: American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of Municipal Arborists, and Tree Canada to establish the new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.

INDIGENOUS RELATIONS TRAINING FOR FOREST SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS

Objective 8 of the SFI Forest Management Standard requires certified organizations to recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and traditional knowledge, aligned with the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

In collaboration with Sault College, SFI and Project Learning Tree Canada developed a series of online courses to fulfill this objective’s training requirement. While this was the purpose of developing the courses, anyone with an interest is able to access.

SFI recognizes the need for ongoing education and training on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and respectful relationship building within the corporate sector. We are committed to providing our forest sector network with training, guidance, resources and supports that will promote greater understanding, recognition and respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, traditional knowledge, representative institutions and distinctive relationships with the forest.

Courses cover many topics relevant to students, forest sector employees, educators, and more. Learning outcomes include:

• Learn about and recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Aboriginal, treaty, and title rights
• Understand how to use and integrate traditional forest-related knowledge into forest planning, projects, and operations
• Develop customized communications approaches that foster respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities
• Co-develop forest-focused projects and initiatives alongside local Indigenous partners
• Learn how to create and promote meaningful workforce development opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and communities within the forest sector
• Develop an Indigenous Relations policy and training program tailored to your organization’s unique objectives, structure and operating locations

SFI GRANT PROGRAMS

Leverage SFI’s Grant Programs to build relationships and advance Indigenous communities’ and shared priorities. SFI offers unique granting programs that offer diverse pathways to advancing forest-focused collaborations around the issues that matter most to communities. Learn more about the different funding programs and discover which SFI Grant Program may be the best fit for you.

SFI COMMUNITY GRANTS

SFI Community Grants have supported projects that include traditional Indigenous knowledge transfer from elders to youth, monitoring and training to conserve culturally-important species like steelhead and marten, and educational field trips for youth to better understand the values and benefits provided by sustainably-managed forests.

For the shíshálh Nation, a series of SFI Community Grants have supported traditional educational opportunities for shíshálh Nation members to identify, conserve, and map cultural and medicinal plants.

The project was split into four phases between 2018 and 2020, wherein priority cultural and medicinal plant identification cards were developed by the shíshálh Nation Cultural Plants Team.

The project also supports sharing these cards with other forestry companies operating within the shíshálh swiya, or traditional territory. The culturally important plant cards are a tangible, community-created training resource that will enable field-based forestry personnel to more fully recognize and respect the shíshálh Nation’s traditional knowledge and relationships with the land.

The project has the potential to become an example of community collaboration and best practice to be replicated in other regions by supporting and promoting Indigenous values, while also improving the understanding of these values by forest professionals and other community groups.

Learn more about SFI Community Grants, including requirements and previous examples of projects at forests.org/communitygrants.

SFI CONSERVATION GRANTS

The Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation are a trans-boundary tribe separated by the border between Canada and the United States, and are comprised of seven member communities, including the Penticton Indian Band.

Supported by an SFI Conservation Grant, a recent project of the Penticton Indian Band is working to link Indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge through enhanced riparian management.

The project collected empirical data and syilx cultural data on the relative health and abundance of syilx values and water quality parameters in streams (known as cecwixa in nsyilxcən) and their associated riparian areas in managed tenures when compared to other areas. The Penticton Indian Band also developed pre-harvest and post-harvest sampling procedures as part of the project.

The project will help forest managers and forestland owners understand how meeting the SFI Standard can support a variety of conservation objectives and facilitate meaningful collaboration. The Penticton Indian Band documented the project’s findings and shared via a webinar linking syilx Knowledge Keepers and syilx Nation resource managers with forest sector and government representatives to discuss the syilx forest standards, and syilx caretakership rights and responsibilities.

Learn more about SFI Conservation Grants, including requirements and previous examples of projects at forests.org/conservationgrants.

SFI EDUCATION GRANTS

Place-Based Education and Exposure to Green Careers
The Yakama Nation’s continued stewardship and management of natural resources relies on an educated, well-trained and motivated workforce. In an effort to develop and encourage tribal youth to pursue natural resources careers, the Pacific Education Institute partnered with Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry to provide staff and educators with Project Learning Tree workshops, forest tours and other hands-on experiences, access to educational resources, and opportunities for youth to investigate green career pathways that could help them stay in their community.

Learn more about SFI Education Grants by contacting SFI’s Senior Manager of Partnerships and Development, Rocco Saracina.

SFI INDIGENOUS OPPORTUNITIES GRANTS – Coming soon!

This new granting stream will invest in the advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ self-determined visions for the future of their forests, as well as multi-partner collaborations that center Indigenous Peoples’ priorities.

Be among the first to know when SFI’s new grant program to advance Indigenous Peoples’ priorities launches by subscribing to SFI’s newsletter at forests.org/sfiinbrief.

INDIGENOUS RECONCILIATION AND EDUCATION RESOURCES

Learn more about the work SFI and PLT Canada are doing to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and browse supporting resources to learn more about land acknowledgements and treaty recognition, as well as traditional environmental stewardship, and much more.

PLT has also assembled a series of resources for teachers and other educators (including natural resource professionals who work with communities and students) to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ history, culture, knowledge, perspectives, and leadership.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

SFI is proud to offer a suite of resources and programs to help inspire and recruit the next generation of forest and conservation leaders through our educational initiatives Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada).

A GUIDE TO GREEN JOBS IN CANADA: VOICES OF INDIGENOUS PROFESSIONALS

Download A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada: Voices of Indigenous Professionals, Project Learning Tree Canada’s (PLT Canada) 60-page booklet featuring first-person stories from 12 First Nations and Inuit leaders working in the forest and conservation and parks sectors across Canada. These Indigenous role models describe what inspired them to pursue green careers and share lessons learned from lived experiences. Available in Anishinaabemowin, Plains Cree, English, and French.

The guide also includes 12 career fact sheets that provide information on various jobs in forestry and conservation, including job descriptions, educational requirements, average salary, and examples of relevant educational programs available at college and university levels across Canada. The fact sheets help youth understand what is required to pursue similar careers to the professionals in the guide.

FUNDING FOR GREEN JOBS

Since 2018, PLT Canada has invested over $2.7 million to help place over 1,000 Indigenous youth from more than 100 Indigenous communities in Green Jobs, many of whom found jobs in their own communities.

We offer a variety of wage matching programs to employers hiring Indigenous youth, ages 15-30, into green jobs that support nature-based solutions for a more sustainable planet. Many can be paired with equipment or accessibility funding, and pre-employment training supports, to further set Indigenous youth up for success in a green career pathway that’s right for them.

LEVERAGE GREEN JOB FUNDING TO HIRE INDIGENOUS YOUTH

Learn more about the program, including eligibility, and current Green Jobs Funding opportunities by contacting the SFI Indigenous Relations Team or visiting pltcanada.org/employers.

SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS YOUTH IN THE GREEN JOBS SECTOR WITH ECO CANADA

This workshop focuses on Indigenous youth just starting out in their green careers, including where to find resources and job opportunities to land your dream Green Job! We discuss transferrable skills, searching for a job, networking, and more.

Speaker: Geni Peters, Labour Market Information Manager, ECO Canada As Labour Market Information (LMI) Manager at ECO Canada, Geni is responsible for the management, execution and delivery of environmental LMI projects, working with an army of professionals comprised of staff, consultants, strategic advisors and subject matter experts.

SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS YOUTH IN THE GREEN JOBS SECTOR WITH OYEP

This workshop focuses on ways employers can support Indigenous youth in their green careers. Employers can learn how to create safe, supportive, and empowering Green Jobs spaces for Indigenous youth. We will talk about the benefits of hiring and training local young people as well.

Speaker: Brittany McCoy, West Program Manager, Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) Manages the Alberta and British Columbia Outland Youth Employment Programs. Maintains industry and community partnerships, continues outreach and recruitment throughout the year.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR JOB SEEKERS

Help young people learn how to efficiently search for green jobs, manage their social media presence, create opportunities through networking, and more with PLT Canada’s Essential Skills for Job Seekers.

MENTORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

PLT and PLT Canada are proud to offer mentorship programs to help Indigenous youth advance their green career pathways. The program connects youth (ages 18-30) with green jobs professionals based on their personalities, goals, interests, and more. This helps ensure that our mentor-mentee pairs build successful, productive and trusting relationships.

Learn more and PLT Canada’s Canadian Green Mentor Program, as well as a brand new mentorship program in the United States.

Join the PLT Canada Green Mentor program to expand your network and perspectives. Applications for the PLT Canada October 2023 cohort are now open!

SPONSOR A LOCAL COHORT OF INDIGENOUS YOUTH

The PLT Canada Green Mentor Program Summer 2022 Tolko Cohort was designed out of the Canadian forest product company’s need for customized mentorship programming for Indigenous youth to explore different opportunities with Tolko and ultimately build their career pathway over the course of two months.

PLT Canada developed all the resources that participants would need to be successful in the mentorship program such as the Green Pathway Plan Workbook, which outlined expectations and tasks for the mentees and mentors. A custom Green Pathway Plan was created to allow mentees to identify and complete weekly tasks, noting their reflections, and working through self-exploration questions.

At the end of the program, participants reported that the program was enjoyable and positively impacted youth’s personal and professional development. PLT Canada incorporated key themes and skill developments that Tolko identified and designed custom resources, leading to a collaborative program where Tolko supported the youth’s success on the ground, and PLT Canada provided the structure and behind the scenes support.

Learn more about creating a custom PLT or PLT Canada mentorship cohort by contacting SFI’s Director of Diversity in Career Pathways, Jerri Taylor.  

CONNECT AND PARTNER WITH SFI

Connect with us! There are many ways the Sustainable Forestry Initiative can partner with and support you. Please indicate your areas of interest in partnering with SFI by contacting a member of our Indigenous Relations Team or selecting the button below to use our Contact Form to learn more.