Elkington Forest Blog

Living Forest Communities

Living Forest Communities is an innovative model that conserves sensitive forest ecosystems through the creation of clustered, “light on the land” residential housing.

Our goal is to acquire large parcels of forest land on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia and place restrictive covenants on 85% or more of the land for conservation, eco-forestry and value-added manufacturing. The restrictive covenants will be held by, and annually audited by, the Land Conservancy of Canada. On the remaining 15% of the land we will do food production, and create clustered, “light on the land” residential mixed-use hamlets.  These hamlets are much more of a European model of community living with the homes fronting onto public squares or common green spaces, while the backs of the homes and rear decks look out over hundreds of acres of wild forest.

The sale of the home sites will pay for the conservation of the forest. This is all about conservation. We are using the mechanics of real estate to facilitate the conservation of the forest, not vice-versa. Under the Living Forest Communities model, the LEED targeted housing will be clustered to a very small footprint, in most cases less than 8% of the overall site.  There are some great examples of green infrastructure, including narrow contour hugging roads and natural submerged wetland wastewater treatment systems to minimize the impact on the watershed.

The forested areas will be managed according to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification standards. The Ecological Baseline Assessment, done at the outset, identifies sensitive habitat areas and watercourses, so as to clearly identify the 85% of the site with the greatest conservation value.  Design guidelines will prescribe the quality, form and character of the homes and buildings, including architectural controls.

Please visit our website at: www.livingforestcommunities.com