The provincial government is seeking public input on possible changes to the way forest companies harvest timber on Crown land.
The changes could include reducing the amount of "volume-based" tenure and increasing the amount of "area-based" tenure for harvesting and replanting Crown timber.
Volume-based tenure is when multiple companies can harvest and replant in a large forested region, with changing responsibilities over the long-term. Area-based is when only one company has rights to harvest and replant in a smaller region of forest, and that doesn't change much over time.
In either case, the amount of timber each company gets to cut is about the same.
Forester Jim Snetsinger will lead the public engagement process and file a report to the provincial government by the end of June.
Snetsinger said, "Given the pressures facing the timber supply in B.C.'s Interior and the impact on communities and forest licensees, it's important to hear from as many stakeholders and members of the public as possible before considering changes that would increase area-based forest tenures."
Forests minister Steve Thomson said that the changes that could be made as a result of Snetsinger's report will not be wholesale shifts in B.C. forest policy.
"We're only interested in pursuing conversions in areas where there is support - and we're proposing that any requests for conversion to be considered on a case-by-case basis. I look forward to the public feedback on the process we're contemplating," he said.
There would be no change in the public's income on stumpage charges to these companies, and no change in the public's ownership provisions to the landbase. The hope is that changes to the tenure system would increase overall forest productivity, improve forest practices and forest companies could better their bottom lines through more careful long-term planning.
People are invited to participate via online comments until noon May 30, 2014, at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/foresttenures. Snetsinger will also visit 10 regional communities for face-to-face public discussions but no dates have been set yet.
Meanwhile, a Prince George grassroots group called the Stand Up for the North Committee will hold its own discussion on April 12 in CNC room 1-310 College of New Caledonia. This forum runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event is called Renewing our Woods: Keeping our Forests Public and Sustainable and features the following guest speakers:
- Anthony Britneff, a retired Registered Professional Forester and policy analyst. He has had a 40-year career with the BC Forest Service in most areas of the province, holding senior professional positions in forest inventory, strategic planning, silviculture, and forest health. He was one of the first to comment on the government's public input website, and strongly criticized the current process of consultation.
- Vicky Husband, a noted environmentalist and conservationist. She has worked on forest protection and management issues in B.C. for more than 30 years, including land use planning, wildlife and fishery issues, and the creation of protected areas. She has been recognized for her conservation work with the Order of Canada and the Order of BC.
- Leonard Thomas, the economic development officer for the Nak'azdli First Nation and former vice-president of the BC First Nations Forestry Council. He was influential in the development of Tl'oh Forest Products and as chief of the Nak'azdli First Nation he was one of the catalysts behind the First Nations Mountain Pine Beetle meeting in 2005, which subsequently evolved into the Forestry Council.
Other speakers include:
- Arnold Bercov, from Pulp, Paper & Woodworkers of Canada;
- Frank Everitt from United Steelworkers Local 1-424;
- Megan Scott from the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union;
- Peter Ewart from Stand Up for the North Committee.
