NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2008FOR0161-001824 Dec. 1, 2008	Ministry of Forests and Range
NEW WOODLOT LICENCE AVAILABLE NEAR ZEBALLOS

VICTORIA – A new woodlot licence available northwest of Zeballos will increase forestry opportunities and benefits in the area, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

 

             “Woodlots appeal to British Columbians who are natural stewards of the land,” said Bell. “Their passion, vision and long-term approach to forestry promote silviculture advancements, maximize the growth potential of our forests, and support local communities and economies.”  

 

            The woodlot will include 754 hectares of Crown land on Union Island, near Chamiss Bay, with a proposed allowable annual cut of 2,690 cubic metres, as well as any private land contributed to the woodlot by the successful applicant. It will be the third woodlot near Chamiss Bay and one of more than 60 new woodlot licences the Province is offering over the next three years.

 

            “Woodlot licensees are part of both the community and the economy where they operate,” said Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations general manager Brian McNaughton. “There will be about 900 woodlots operating in British Columbia by 2011, and they will continue to create and support jobs that lead to the sustainable management of our forests and resources.”

 

            Woodlot licences are small, area-based tenures that combine private land with up to 800 hectares of Crown land on the coast and 1,200 hectares of Crown land in the Interior, and are managed by individuals, groups or First Nations. Usually, they are replaceable tenures, awarded for 20 years.

 

            There are currently 828 active woodlots that include about 546,000 hectares in British Columbia. In 2005, woodlot licensees generated an estimated $183 million in economic activity in B.C. and harvested just over three million cubic metres of timber. Each woodlot generates jobs in planning, harvesting, road construction and maintenance, reforestation, silviculture and small-scale timber processing.

 

            Applications and further details about the new licence are available through the Campbell River Forest District office and at http://www23.for.gov.bc.ca/notices/init.do .

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Media contact:	Jennifer McLarty Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592
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