Jana Kotaska

Mother Tree Network

Jana Kotaska is the Executive Director for the Mother Tree Network (MTN), a new charity in British Columbia. MTN acts as a knowledge hub and, by invitation, we work with First Nations and other communities wanting to transition to regenerative forestry. We provide in-community research, analysis, education, and planning support. Jana has worked for First Nations in British Columbia since 1998, supporting their land and water governance. Her formal educational background is in ecology, environmental science, and planning, and she completed a PhD focused on decolonizing territorial governance at the University of British Columbia. Her real-world education comes from the Elders and colleagues she has had the privilege to work with, and to whom she is ever grateful. Of mixed European ancestry, she is a mother of two and lives on Quw'utsun lands on Vancouver Island, where she and her partner run a 40-acre certified organic mixed farm.