Boundary forest society to close Nov. 13 as New Forest Act campaign ends
The Kettle River watershed in the Boundary region, where the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society began its forestry advocacy work.
Photo credit: Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society
GRAND FORKS — The Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society will cease operations Nov. 13 and is proceeding with dissolution, ending an organized campaign for provincial forestry reform that grew out of concerns about forest management in the Kettle River watershed.
The society announced the decision Oct. 5 in a statement and a letter from Jennifer Houghton, its New Forest Act campaign director and principal author of the legislative proposal.
The society's board has decided to dissolve the organization, Houghton wrote. Its proposed New Forest Act and supporting materials will remain publicly available for individuals and organizations interested in pursuing the reforms independently.
"Advancing the New Forest Act no longer belongs to BFWSS. It belongs to the people who decide it is worth advancing," Houghton wrote.
Houghton will become the independent custodian of the proposal and its supporting materials after Nov. 13. She said she will preserve public access to the documents and remain available for occasional presentations or briefings, but will no longer coordinate an organized campaign.
"I am not creating another organization or continuing the BFWSS campaign under another name," she wrote.
There will be no replacement board, membership structure or fundraising organization. Houghton also said she will stop seeking speaking engagements and operating the campaign as a full-time undertaking.
The society's announcement establishes Nov. 13 as its final day of operations. It does not establish whether the formal dissolution process under B.C.'s Societies Act will be completed on that date.
From watershed concerns to provincial reform
BFWSS was formed in 2019 following the Grand Forks floods, when concerns about logging, watershed conditions and forestry practices prompted residents to organize around forest management in the Boundary region.
Its early work focused on documenting forestry activity in the Kettle River watershed, examining government decisions and advocating for greater protection of watersheds and forest ecosystems.
The organization also participated in provincial forestry-policy consultations. B.C. government records identify BFWSS among the organizations that submitted comments during the 2019 consultation on improvements to the Forest and Range Practices Act.
Over time, the society expanded its attention from local forestry decisions to the legislation governing forest management throughout British Columbia.
Its earlier publications, including Brighter Future for Boundary Forests, called for changes to forest governance, ecological protection and community involvement in decisions about public forests.
Houghton began developing the New Forest Act proposal in January 2024, with the first detailed version published that September.
The proposal advocates replacing major elements of B.C.'s existing forestry system with an approach built around ecological integrity, community-based decision-making and rural economies.
Its Protect-Restore-Harvest model would establish different management priorities for protecting ecosystems, restoring damaged landscapes and permitting forestry operations. The framework also proposes new governance structures intended to give communities a greater role in decisions about public forests.
The society published an updated proposal in March 2026 and spent much of the year presenting the framework to communities, organizations, local governments and provincial officials.
In September, the Boundary Sentinel reported that the Grand Forks-developed proposal had reached B.C.'s ministers responsible for forests and water, land and resource stewardship.
The proposal has not been introduced or adopted as provincial legislation. It remains an independently developed framework that its supporters want the provincial government to consider.
B.C. has pursued separate forestry reforms, including changes to existing legislation and work on forest landscape planning. Those government initiatives are distinct from the New Forest Act advocated by BFWSS.
Proposal and archives to remain available
The society says its website, boundaryforest.org, will become an online archive of its work, preserving reports, articles, photographs, videos and materials produced through its Forest Watchdogs activities.
BFWSS has committed to keeping the archive available for ten years after the organization closes.
The New Forest Act proposal and related resources are being moved to a separate website, newforestact.ca, where they are intended to remain available for public use.
The society's announcement describes the new website as being created, while Houghton's accompanying letter says the materials are available there.
BFWSS also says its YouTube channel will continue under the New Forest Act name, preserving access to videos produced during the campaign.
The resources include the full legislative proposal, executive summary, background material, presentations and graphics. Houghton said members of the public will be able to use them in discussions with elected representatives, community organizations and local governments.
Before the society closes, Houghton has scheduled an online workshop for Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. Pacific time to explain the proposal and how individuals can use the materials in their own advocacy. Dave Weaver, a retired forestry professional and New Forest Act co-author, is expected to participate in the question-and-answer portion.
Houghton also listed two remaining presentations: Hornby Island ForestFest on Oct. 24 and a Watershed Security Alliance gathering in Kelowna on Oct. 30.
After Nov. 13, she said she may participate in occasional presentations when significant opportunities arise, but will no longer operate an active advocacy campaign.
The society's email account will continue to be monitored until Jan. 31, 2027.
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