This project provides a number of ecological benefits. To understand these benefits, one must consider the landscape surrounding the project area. This part of the Chilcotin is almost completely dominated by lodgepole pine stands, and the Mountain Pine Beetle devastated these pine stands between 2000 and 2010. While most of the dead pine was harvested early on, less economic stands such as the project area were left until last. When the Hanceville Fire occurred in 2017 it changed the focus of salvage operations to burned timber. The project area was dropped in priority and now it’s over 20 years since the pine beetle infestation. The trees no longer have enough economic value for harvest, and immature lodgepole pine has regenerated under the dying and dead mature pine stand (pine seed remains viable for many years after being formed). The mature pine stands were full of mistletoe and Elytroderma (a fungal infection with similar impact to mistletoe), and these two pests have infected much of the new growth. Without restoration activities, these new pine stands will become increasingly infected with disease and grow extremely slowly and may never reach the height of a healthy mature forest. Healthy mature pine stands provide many benefits including thermal and hiding cover for wildlife and extending the rate of snow melt in spring.

Yunesit'in Government, located west of Williams Lake, proposes working with industry partners to rehabilitate collapsed lodgepole pine forests in and around the Dasiqox Tribal Park.This project will create a more sustainable landscape with reduced potential for catastrophic wildfire and faster re-establishment of healthy forest conditions. Target stands include industry cutting permits being surrendered in stands that were killed by mountain pine beetle in the early2000s.Stand rehabilitation is consistent with the goals outlined by both Yunesit’in Government and Xeni Gwet’in, as stated in the Newagweẑʔan: Community Vision and Management Goals for Dasiqox Tribal Park (2018) document co-published by these two communities.Activities will include reduction of downed and dead woody material, removal of solid wood for community heating, mechanical site preparation, and reforestation.Yunesit’in will draw upon its own resources and businesses, as well as business partnerships, toaccomplish these goalsThere are many benefits to the Yunesit’in community from these activities, including:Utilization of residual fiber for community heating: breakdown and delivery of firewood to community households to supply wood stoves (100% of the houses in Yunesit'in community of Stone are heated by wood). Creation of employment opportunities for members over the project’s lifetime: sustainable work for sawyers and other laborers from Yunesit’in Development Enterprises.Protection of timber and non-timber forest values for future generations: re-establishment of forest conditions and healthier ecosystems.

These projects will combine to reforest 255 hectares of disturbed and ecologically degraded land through the planting of native coniferous and deciduous trees.The restoration of these sites will promote increased biodiversity by providing more varied and contiguous wildlife habitat. Re-establishing forest cover will also contribute to restoring ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and water and air purification.

1. Carbon AR Pilots - This project will restore 110 hectares of disturbed and ecologically degraded land while creating 3-11 months of part-time and full-time positions for up to 15 Canadians.These projects are pilots for future projects officially developed under the soon to be released FCOP as well as international protocols on private lands. Projects explicitly developed to acquire carbon offsets have the potential to open significant opportunities for revenue to fund ecosystem restoration projects and provide employment for those in forestry and other environmental and resource sectors across the country.

2. Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District Lot Reforestation - This project will restore 145 hectares of severely disturbed forest that was burned in 2017 while creating 2-11 months of part-time and full-time positions for up to 15 Canadians. This project will help restore forest and range values while supporting Esk’etemc and Tl’esqox First Nation cultural values by contributing to long-term access to food and medicine within their traditional territory.

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The Plateau wildfire in 2017 burned 545,151 hectares, with approximately  30-40% of this area experiencing a stand-destroying fire. Some areas will regenerate naturally from seed sources that survived the fire. Lodgepole pine cones are specifically adapted to release their seeds following a wildfire. Areas that had few lodgepole pine before the fire, burned with a very high fire intensity, or have difficult conditions for seed germination, will take many decades to recover without tree planting. Planting ensures that all the benefits forests provide will return to the landscape much faster than if left to natural processes. These benefits include the provisions of food sources, fuel, and medicinal plants; atmospheric carbon sequestration; regulation of the hydrological cycle; and wildlife habitat. Wildlife species that will benefit from this project include black and grizzly bears, moose, mule deer, cougars, grey wolves, snowshoe hares, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and many more small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibiansIntense wildfires can have substantial effects on the relationship between water and forest soils by removing the organic layers that protect the underlying mineral horizons. In the absence of the top organic layers, the mineral horizons are exposed to direct precipitation, which can lead to increased erosion and soil instability.

Wildfire has removed thousands of hectares of forest cover around local communities. Hunting and trapping are important sources of food and income for local communities. Local communities benefit from larger wildlife populations supported by these restored forest habitats. Members of the local Nazko First Nation will be involved with the trail building and danger tree assessments necessary to carry out the planting operations for this project. These 3 workers have been involved with similar projects in the area for the last three years. The planting crews that come stay in the area provide a substantial increase in revenue to the local store/restaurant located at the First Nation-owned campground where they stay. The survey crews that will monitor these plantations also stay at the accommodation in Nazko providing dependable annual revenue during the summer and fall for years following this planting project.