Our Team

Keith is a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation and currently works as the CEO of the First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC). He grew up in coastal communities while developing forest management skills from employment in the family business, Coast Forest Management.

Keith graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1994. Over twenty years in forest planning and management ranging from timber harvesting layout and design to pine mushroom management plans with the Nisga’a Lisims Government. Keith’s focus at FNFC is to assist and improve First Nations communities in their involvement and benefit from natural resource management.

Cedar Elliott was born and raised in the Cowichan Valley and is a member of Cowichan Tribes in the unceded Coast Salish territory. Cedar has been working in the forest industry since 1999 starting as a worker and worked his way to the position he holds now. Cedar has managed Khowutzun Forest Services (KFS) since 2015.

KFS maintains contracts with British Columbia as well as the private industry for Silviculture, logging and fire control. KFS also manages Community Forest timber license K1K and Managed Forest MF #474

Cedar is a Director on the Private Forest Landowners association (PFLA) Board, along with being a committee member of North Cowichan’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), and a member of the BC Contractor Advisory Committee (BCAC). As a member of these boards and committees, Cedar represents Cowichan Tribes & KFS interests’ interest at these tables.

Lee’s family has a long history in the BC forest products industry.  His great-grandfather came to Victoria in 1907 and, with other family members and associates, formed the Cameron Lumber Company.  Lee’s grandfather carried on with ownership stakes in Sooke Lake Lumber and Victoria Plywood.  Now, the Managed Forest that Lee’s family owns in the Cowichan Valley is the last remnant of Cameron Lumber’s holdings on Vancouver Island.   Lee has a BSc. In Earth Sciences from the University of Victoria, and previously worked as a geologist in the BC mining industry.  He now focuses on investment management, and helps out on his family’s Managed Forest.

A PFLA Board member since 2019, Matthew is the Area Manager for Hancock Forest Management Inc. and is responsible for managing over 20,000 hectares of private forestland on central Vancouver Island. Matthew also sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Federation of Forest Owners (CFFO). He is a graduate from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor’s of Science in Forestry and Environmental Management and is a Registered Professional Forester in the Province of British Columbia. With nearly 20 years of experience in the forest industry, Matthew has developed dedication to sustainable forestry through collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

Domenico Iannidinardo is a second generation forest worker and UBC graduate with degrees in forestry and business. He is also registered as a professional forester, biologist and engineer. As VP Forest & Logistics and Chief Forester for Mosaic Forest Management based on Vancouver Island, he regularly finds himself between competitions for not only various resources on a landscape, but perceptions about what is the best balance associated with those magnificent resources.

Makenzie was raised in the forest industry and grew up in logging camps and forest communities on BC’s Coast. This inspired her career – beginning as a labourer for a logging contractor, she continued on to various positions across Western Canada and abroad working in forest stewardship and certification, environmental management, forest ecology, operational planning, communication, relations, and policy. She has worked in both the private and public sectors and has also run her own successful consulting business.

She has a passion for the forest industry and the people and communities dependent on it. As Vice President of Business Development and Indigenous Partnerships at A&A Trading, she is focused on building and maintaining innovative, long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships with First Nations, communities, and others who share a passion for forestry. She also works with governments on policy with the objective of a healthy environment, forest sector, and communities. Makenzie has her Bachelor of Science in Forest Business Management from the University of Alberta and is a Registered Professional Forester.

Robert Preston grew up in Kelowna, BC during the 40’s and 50’s where small-scale logging was a significant part of the local economy. On graduation from high school he joined the Royal Canadian Navy and received a mechanical engineering degree from Royal Roads and Royal Military College in Kingston.  He spent a 38-year career in the Navy with years at sea and in senior positions managing shipbuilding, repair, and fleet operation retiring in Ottawa as the Navy’s Chief Engineer with the rank of Naval Commodore.

He has spent his retirement in Victoria with his family acquiring a portion of managed forest 307 in the gulf islands. He became interested in the Private Forest Landowners Association in 2001 and has served as a director since 2003. He is married with two children and four grandchildren.