The land base that has been selected for the community forest pilot is the Crown provincial forest of the Chilliwack River drainage basin.

The Stó:lô have cultivated a long standing relationship with the Chilliwack River drainage basin that has gone on approximately 10,000 years. One hundred and fifty years ago, commercial logging began in the drainage basin and today, approximately 1000 to1500 cubic metres of wood are removed daily.

The proposed new use of the Chilliwack River drainage basin is a community forest pilot that would offer the Stó:lô an opportunity to manage the resources in the drainage basin over the long-term. Benefits of the community forest would ideally reflect community goals and values and could serve as a vehicle for increased sensitivity to sustainable resource extraction principles.

There are some potential conflicts that may need to be addressed during the implementation of the community forest pilot. Conflicts include: landslides in the Chilliwack valley, band governance relations, residents and other businesses in the valley, other forestry operators in the drainage basin, the Protected Areas Strategy, the Spotted Owl Management Plan and the remaining old growth in the drainage basin. The Stó:lô see all of these issues as potential opportunities to develop good working relations through conversations with many groups.

The boundaries of the community forest pilot are as follows: the height of land of the Chilliwack River drainage basin in the north; the Canada - United States border in the south; the Chilliwack Lake protected area in the east; and the western slope of Vedder Mountain in the west. A detailed description of the whole area is included within the proposal and five maps, at a scale of 1:50,000, illustrating the area and the resources of the drainage basin are attached to the proposal.

The current AAC within the Chilliwack drainage basin is fully apportioned, however, there are approximately 20,000 cubic metres of under committed volume that could be available from various apportioned volumes to support the community forest pilot.