Leaders in Forestry: Harvey Dick

Rooted in Community, Guided by the Land

For Harvey Dick, forestry has always been a way to stay connected to the land and the people he grew up with. Born in Williams Lake and raised in Tl’etinqox, Harvey has lived and worked in his community his entire life. Today, as a Director with Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) and Councillor of the Tl’etinqox Government, he brings decades of hands-on experience, humility, and dedication to creating opportunities locally.

“I started working in forestry as a carpenter when I was 18,” Harvey Dick, Director of CCR and member of Tl’etinqox Government, recalls. “My first job was doing tree spacing for Tsi’bas Forest Services. After that, I joined a brushing crew, five trucks with five people each, and everyone was from the community.” For Harvey, forestry work was never about chasing commercial gain, it was about staying close to home, helping the land recover, and working alongside neighbours and friends.

After several years of brushing, seeding, and pile burning, Harvey took on independent contract work for Tolko in his mid-twenties, removing mistletoe and continuing rehabilitation work. “I’ve always loved being outdoors, helping Mother Nature, especially after wildfires,” he says. That passion for the land would eventually shape his career in community-based forestry.

A Role Grounded in Community

Harvey oversees layout and spacing crews while supporting carpentry projects within the community. “I provide updates to CCR and keep our local crews working,” he shares. “What motivates me most is seeing people from my community working close to home and going home every night instead of living in camps.”

While his team once had 32 members, he’s now managing 19 and remains focused on finding new contracts to bring more people back to work. “Keeping jobs in the community is what keeps me going,” he says.

Q3. You’ve seen many changes in the industry over the years. How has CCR’s approach to forestry, particularly Indigenous-led forest rehabilitation, stood out to you as a meaningful shift?

Harvey: Back in the 1970s, most of the logging around here was done by outside contractors. Things started to change when Tŝideldel began taking on more forestry work and creating opportunities for people in the community. Dechen Ventures Limited Partnership started out doing rehabilitation and replanting, and over the years, the work has evolved. After the 2017 wildfire, there was a fundamental shift. Now, a lot of our focus is on fuel management, wildfire prevention, and keeping the land healthy so the same kind of destruction doesn’t happen again. CCR’s approach   ensures that the people who live on the land are the ones caring for it.

Q4. CCR is guided by strong values like Stewardship, Collaboration, Resilience, Sustainability, and Indigenous Leadership. Which of these values resonates most with you personally, and how have you seen it reflected in CCR’s work?

Harvey: Stewardship and sustainability stand out to me. I’ve always believed in taking care of the land, helping Mother Nature recover after logging or fires. That’s what CCR is all about. It’s special to work with people you know and trust, people who share the same goal. Everyone from Daniel Persson, Forestry Superintendent at CCR to Hugh Flinton, Forestry Manager at Dechen Ventures to the crews on the ground works hard to make sure the land is left in better shape than when we started.

Q5. Looking back on your career, did you ever imagine forestry would become such an important part of climate action and community resilience? If yes: What do you think people need to better understand about forestry’s role in protecting the land and communities?

Harvey: The big fire in 2017 really opened my eyes. It showed how much the land needs care and how connected we are to it. People need to understand that taking care of the forest means taking care of ourselves. When the trees burn, there’s no firewood, no shade, no protection. Many in the community now have to travel hours to gather wood for heating. But now we’re seeing new trees come back, and that means there will be more work for the people in the next 10 years. Over time, technology has changed too; we used to do spacing with shears, then chainsaws, and now we use different brush saws. But the goal is still the same: protect the land and keep it healthy for future generations.

Q6. In your experience, what is one major difference that CCR brings to forestry that you don’t see elsewhere in the industry?

Harvey: CCR brings steady work to the community. That’s the big difference. People don’t have to go far to find good job; it’s right here, close to home. CCR’s projects give people a sense of pride and ownership because they’re caring for their own land.

Q7. You’ve mentored and worked alongside many people over the years. How do you see CCR helping build capacity and inspire the next generation of forestry leaders?

Harvey: CCR leads by example. A lot of people, even from other Nations like the Osoyoos Indian Band, come to see what we’re doing. It shows what’s possible when you give people the opportunity to work and learn in their own territory. CCR always keeps the door open for youth. Even if they don’t join right away, they know the offer is there when they’re ready.

Q8. From your experience with wildfire risk reduction and rehabilitation projects, what lessons stand out most to you about caring for the land and preventing future disasters?

Harvey: The biggest lesson is self-sufficiency. Every community needs to be ready and able to take care of its own land. At Dechen Ventures Limited Partnership, we now have a firefighting crew, and our crew boss checks the fire danger rating every day to plan when it’s safe to be out. That kind of awareness keeps people safe and teaches them responsibility for the land.

Q9. What’s one message or legacy you hope to leave, both for the forestry industry and for the communities you’ve served throughout your career?

Keep doing what we’re doing. The work is meaningful. I hope more young people step up and join the crews. There’s a lot to learn, and there’s always more to do. Training is important, too. Things like first aid, radio communication, and safety tickets make a big difference. The more skills people have, the stronger our crews and communities will be. - Harvey Dick, Director of CCR and member of Tl’etinqox Government