Collaborators in Forestry: Dechen Ventures LP

As part of its ongoing Collaborators in Forestry series, Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) is highlighting Dechen Ventures LP and the crews who have supported CCR’s forestry and rehabilitation work from the beginning.

Dechen Ventures LP is an Indigenous-owned civil construction and forestry enterprise operated by the Tl’etinqox Government in British Columbia. The company’s work includes gravel supply, road maintenance, road deactivation, and site preparation for forest rehabilitation projects.

Through CCR projects, the crews have supported thinning, pruning, spacing, piling, pile burning, road rehabilitation, fuel management, and other field-based work across the region. These activities help reduce wildfire risk, prepare areas for rehabilitation, and support healthier forest conditions over time.

The crew workers come from nearby communities, including Tl’etinqox, Tŝideldel, and Yunesit’in. Today, the company supports approximately 45 employees.

For Harvey Dick, Manager, Dechen Ventures LP, the community aspect of the work is just as important as the forestry work itself. Many crew members have worked with him for years, and several have been part of CCR projects since the beginning.

“A lot of people don’t have to look for work outside the reserve,” said Harvey. “They can come home every night and be with their family.”

That matters in communities where forestry work can often require time away from home. Through local rehabilitation and fuel management projects, workers are able to build skills and experience while continuing to work in their own region.

Harvey said the work also has a clear purpose on the land. Crews help create fuel breaks by spacing trees, pruning lower branches, piling material, and returning in winter to burn the piles when conditions are safe.

“For the land, if there’s a fire, we have the fuel break there to slow the fire down,” said Harvey. “It also gives my people work in their own communities.”

The team has also supported rehabilitation work in areas affected by the 2017 wildfires, including work connected to Pressy Lake. This work is part of the longer recovery process following wildfire and includes reducing fuel loads, preparing sites, and supporting forest recovery.

Harvey’s role includes organizing crews, setting up work, reviewing maps, coordinating with CCR staff, and making sure workers have what they need to complete the job safely. He said working with people who understand the communities, the land, and the language makes the work easier to carry out.

For CCR, this collaboration reflects the importance of having local crews involved in rehabilitation and wildfire risk reduction. The crews bring practical experience, local knowledge, and a long-standing connection to the projects they support.

By featuring Dechen Ventures LP, CCR recognizes the people behind this work and the role they continue to play in supporting local employment, forest recovery, and wildfire risk reduction across the Cariboo Chilcotin.

CCR thanks Dechen Ventures LP for its continued work and contribution to CCR’s forestry and rehabilitation projects.