Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR), jointly owned by Tŝideldel First Nation, the Tl’etinqox Government and the Yunesit'in Government, is being recognized for its industry-leading projects by the Canadian Biomass Awards.
On Friday, May 16, the Canadian Biomass magazine announced CCR as the winner of its 2025 Company of the Year award. The magazine applauded CCR for its innovative Pressy Lake Pilot Project which saw opportunity in fibre affected wildfires where others did not.
“This kind of innovative thinking is badly needed to help with the recovery of the province’s forest products sector," said Andrew Snook, editor for the magazine and the judge for the awards.
The Pressy Lake Pilot Project is the CCR's largest rehabilitation project yet, working on an area affected by the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire which burned over 190,000 hectares near 70 Mile House in the South Cariboo. The project started up in November 2023 and found that fibre can be salvaged long after wildfires burn forest stands down to wastelands, challenging long-held beliefs of what of wildfire salvage and fibre usability.
“By distinguishing fire-killed from burnt wood and rethinking how fibre can be assessed and processed, we’ve opened the door to a new stream of biomass," said Joe Webster, operations manager at Tši Del Del Biomass. "This kind of innovation isn’t just good for business, it’s essential for the future of forestry.”
The project provided 40,000 cubic metres of biomass to Kruger Kamloops Pulp LP and to Cariboo Pulp & Paper which was used for producing paper products as well as bioenergy, contributing to the creation of jobs and the sustainability of the region's forestry industry.
“This award honours the deep connection First Nations people have to the land,” said Otis Guichon, Chief of Tŝideldel First Nation and Tribal Chief of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government. “The Pressy Lake pilot project is more than a biomass success; it’s a reflection of our inherent responsibility to restore what was lost and ensure the land can thrive for future generations.”
By recovering the fibre, CCR made way for forest recovery work, and the project's replanting strategies are expected to speed up the forest's development by 75 to 100 years.
