Federation of BC Woodlot Association releases 2020 Woodlot Licence Program Report following the Throne Speech

KELOWNA – The Federation of BC Woodlot Associations has released its first Woodlot Licence program report in over a decade. Woodlot licences are small area-based forest tenures. The report looks at what sets the ‘Woodlot Licence’ apart from other forest tenures in BC. It provides a brief history, examples of innovation and excellence in forest management and highlights the social, environmental and economic contributions woodlot licences provide to local communities throughout BC. This unique tenure – having individuals manage Crown forest land, often combined with their own private forest land – was structured to promote small scale enterprises and a stewardship oriented approach to managing forests. Currently, BC has 850 woodlot licences, accounting for nearly 600,000 hectares of managed forestland. Collectively, they account for ~1.4% of all timber harvested annually in BC. While that might seem like a small percentage, woodlot licences are a big deal on BC’s forest landscape because they are about much more than timber.