Local and Indigenous governments and local forestry stakeholders will benefit from increased participation opportunities in the forest sector under the new sharing agreement, called apportionment, for the Quesnel Timber Supply Area.
“Today’s announcement gives communities and Indigenous Nations in the area a greater voice in local forest sector management, so they can remain resilient when facing challenges like the ones we are experiencing now,” said Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
The apportionment was announced by Kahlon at the Quesnel Forestry Innovation Centre. He was joined by Bob Simpson, Mayor of Quesnel, and representatives from the Southern Dakelh Nation Alliance, ?Esdilagh First Nation and C&C Wood Products.
The apportionment is a vision of how government would like to see the allowable annual cut of a management unit distributed amongst the forms of agreement. It categorizes, by licence type, the breakdown of available volume within the allowable annual cut of a timber supply area that has already been determined by the chief forester or deputy chief forester.
“Quesnel and local Indigenous communities have been leaders in searching for solutions to current challenges faced by B.C.’s Interior forest sector,” said the Hon. Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “With this apportionment decision now in place, I encourage local and Indigenous governments and forestry stakeholders to begin work on partnerships for possible future business opportunities.”
On June 16, 2017, Diane Nicholls, chief forester, announced that the allowable annual cut for the Quesnel Timber Supply Area was 2,607,000 cubic metres, with harvest maximums of 127,000 cubic metres from deciduous tree-leading stands, 1.25 million cubic metres from living trees and the remainder to be harvested from dead trees.
The new apportionment supports three key government objectives of supporting Indigenous reconciliation, supporting community involvement in local resource management and forest sector diversification to enhance economic stability in the area.
Effective Jan. 1, 2020, the apportionment breaks down as follows (in cubic metres):
- Replaceable forest licences (generally, held by larger licensees) – 1,237,548 (662,500 live)
- Non-replaceable forest licences – 599,952 (95,000 live; 100,000 deciduous)
- First Nations woodland licence – 162,500 (all live)
- BC Timber Sales – 500,000 (250,000 live)
- Community forest agreement – 77,000 (50,000 live; 27,000 deciduous)
- Forest service reserve – 30,000 (all live)
Mandates are being developed to offer community forest volume and to distribute allowable annual cut volume for First Nations. An invitation to apply for a community forest licence is anticipated to be extended to interested partnerships in spring 2020.
Once a community forest agreement, First Nations woodland licence or woodlot licence is established, the supporting Crown land and allowable annual cut are removed from the timber supply area and are not tracked in the apportionment system.
Quick Facts:
- Community forests are long-term, area-based tenures designed to encourage community involvement in the management of local forests, while expanding economic opportunities and opening doors to local job creation. They are managed by local or Indigenous governments or community groups for the benefit of the entire community.
- Community forest agreements carry an initial term of 25 to 99 years (typically 25 years) and are replaceable every 10 years.
- In British Columbia, there are 59 community forest agreements issued and another four under invitation, accounting for approximately two million cubic metres of timber volume.
Learn More:
For more information on apportionment in B.C. visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures/forest-tenure-administration/apportionment-commitment-reports-aac
Find out more about forest tenures in B.C.: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures
More information on timber supply reviews and allowable annual cut determinations can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/timber-supply-review-and-allowable-annual-cut
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