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VICTORIA – Current log export rules will remain in place
while the work of the regulatory review and the roundtable on forestry is
undertaken, Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman announced today.
Log exports make up a small percentage of British
Columbia’s total harvest. In 2007, log
exports from provincial coastal Crown lands were about 500,000 cubic metres,
compared with 1.1 million cubic metres in 2006.
About 95 per cent of British Columbia’s timber
harvest is processed in the province.
Before logs can be exported, they must be offered to domestic buyers.
Cedar and cypress logs from provincial lands may
not be exported. For logs from other
tree species, exporters pay a fee ranging from five to 15 per cent of the log’s
value.
Originally, the change was proposed as part of the
Coastal Forest Action Plan released in October 2007. If implemented, it would have linked log exports fees to the tax
charged on softwood lumber exports starting in February. However, the change has been postponed so
that it can be considered within the broader context of regulatory review and
the roundtable.
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Public Affairs Officer 250 387-4592 |
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