Looking beyond : can the BC community forest program be improved?

The reform of tenure system and establishment of the British Columbia community forest program created new opportunities for communities around the province and seems to be a story of success. In this paper, a comparative study is done between the community forest model in British Columbia and four other jurisdictions (Ontario, Quebec, Mexico and Cameroon). Initially, the evolution and characteristics of community forest in B.C are described, with focus on the regulations that govern the creation and functioning of a Community Forest Agreement. Subsequently, each of other models are described, and compared with the B.C. model. Finally, in the discussion, some constraints, issues and opportunities for improvement of the B.C. model are identified and put forward for examination.