About Alkali Resource Management
Alkali Resource Management (ARM) manages a 28,000-hectare Community Forest, a 60,000-hectare First Nation Woodland Tenure, a 965-hectare Woodlot, as well as several other forest licences on behalf of the community of Esk’etemc First Nation.
ARM blends traditional land management with the latest technologies such as of GPS, LiDAR and tablets to collect and analyze data.
ARM’s expertise and workforce serve many industries and subsectors within forestry, mining, oil and gas, roads, safety and more.
Through direct contact with the land, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is passed down within the Esk’et community. Just as our culture is passed down to our youth in the community, from hunting to fishing, storytelling and more, through generations the direct contact with the environment contributes to land management knowledge and its life-sustaining ways. ARM is a leader of Cultural and Prescribed Burning in BC.
Our Mission is…
To manage the land and resources on behave of the Esk’etemc and to provide sustainable management, leadership and innovation while providing Secwépemc knowledge, cultural values, and creating opportunities and employment.
Our Vision is…
To manage the land using sustainable, innovative, scientific and Indigenous knowledge while looking 7 generations into the future.
Our Values include…
- Sustainable for 7 generations
- Innovative
- Integrity
- Accountable
- Community Serving
Our People
ARM employs up to 75 permanent full-time and seasonal employees. ARM emphasizes employment practices, training, and capacity building from within the community of Esk’etemc. Please visit Employment Opportunities.
Safety is our #1 Priority!
ARM is an integrated forest management company committed to providing a safe and healthy worksite for all our employees and visitors to our worksites. Alkali Resource Management Ltd. has been safe certified with the BC Forest Safety Council since 2008. We implement companywide safety policies that support Safe certification that includes a Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
Innovation & Cultural Knowledge
The goals of Adaptive Management Practices are to monitor changes in ecosystems and improve processes to create resilient forests. The use of forest harvesting practices, hand treatments, and prescribed burning are used to manipulate the forest ecosystems. This includes the management of First Nations food and medical plant values while using research methods to gather data and improve the understanding of complex ecosystems.
ARM is working with the BC Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Service and University researchers to combine Indigenous knowledge and modern western science with Adaptive Management Practices.
ARM Board of Directors
Alkali Resource Management Ltd. is governed by an elected Board of Directors composed of the following members:
Dave Belleau
Madeline Chelsea
William Chelsea Sr.
Michael Pedersen
William Rand
ARM Organizational Chart
Rollover chart and click for bios
Forest Manager Francis Johnson Jr., RPF
Francis Johnson Jr is a member of the Esk’etemc (People of the White Earth), formally Alkali Lake First Nation, and is part of the Secwépemc Nation.
Francis is the Forest Manager with Alkali Resource Management Ltd. (ARM). Francis’ career has come full circle having started with ARM (previously known as Alkali Forest Enterprises) then seven years with various forestry companies in Williams Lake before returning to ARM in 2010. Francis’ professional development and leadership lead him to Management in 2021.
Francis is a community member and is one of three hereditary Chief’s in the community. This background give’s Francis expertise in Secwépemc traditional governance and traditional knowledge on Secwépemc land management overseeing all resources on land, air and water including the use of fire.
Francis holds a Bachelor of Natural Resource Science degree (2006) from Thompson Rivers University and is a Registered Professional Forester with the Forest Professionals of BC. Also, he is registered with the College of Applied Biologist working towards a Registered Professional Biologist designation. He is married with 6 children and currently resides in the village of Esk’et (Place of the White Earth).
Strategic Planner Clayton Harry, FIT
Clayton Harry is a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation and joined Alkali Resource Management Ltd. (ARM) as a Strategic Planner in September 2022. Prior to joining ARM, Clayton was the General Manager of SXDC Ltd. where he created successful economic development opportunities for his community. Clayton’s experience spans several industries including forestry, mining, clean energy, tourism, gas and oil, and municipalities. Additionally, Clayton has been instrumental in bylaw, policy and procedure, and master plan development, safety programming and implementation, fire suppression facilitation, as well as numerous project management including a community garden, forestry operations, community store, ranching, and tourism hospitality.
In addition to being a Forester in Training (FIT), Clayton holds an Aboriginal Management Certificate from the Sauder School of Business (2014), an Administration and Governance Certificate from Thompson Rivers University, and a Bachelor of Natural Resource Science Degree at Thompson Rivers University (2011). He also holds a Natural Resource Technology Diploma (2006) and Natural Resource Technology Certificate (2005) from the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.
In Clayton’s free time he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, or playing, coaching or watching sports.