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VICTORIA – Two new woodlot licences on Malcolm Island and a third near Gold River are available as the Province continues to support new or expanded forestry opportunities for individuals, groups and First Nations, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.
“These
woodlot licences create employment and offer residents a long-term silviculture
and forestry vision for lands near their communities,” said Bell. “The Province
has advertised or awarded six new woodlot licences on Vancouver Island since
December, and we will continue to increase opportunities that help British
Columbians share in the benefits of forestry.”
Both woodlot licences on Malcolm Island, just north of Port McNeill, are near the community of Sointula. One licence includes about 797 hectares of Crown land, with an initial allowable cut of 3,700 cubic metres, while the other includes about 760 hectares and has an initial allowable cut of 3,300 cubic metres. Both may also include private land contributed to the woodlot by the successful applicants.
The third woodlot licence will include 800 hectares of Crown land
about two kilometres southeast of Gold River and have an initial allowable
annual cut of 2,234 cubic metres. The new licences are part of more than 60 the
Province will offer over the next few years, increasing the total of woodlot
operations in B.C. to 900.
“Woodlot licensees are significant creators of
direct and spin-off employment in many British Columbian communities,” said Federation
of B.C. Woodlot Associations general manager Brian McNaughton. “The growth and
demand for licenses on Vancouver Island is indicative of how a woodlot tenure
can support sustainable and economically viable forestry operations.”
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 about 830 active woodlots in
British Columbia. Each woodlot generates jobs in planning, harvesting, road
construction and maintenance, reforestation, silviculture and small-scale
timber processing.
The North Island-Central Coast Forest District office can provide applications and details on the Malcolm Island licences, while information regarding the licence available near Gold River is available from the Campbell River Forest District office. Applications for all advertised woodlot licences can be viewed at http://www23.for.gov.bc.ca/notices/init.do.
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Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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