Regulatory Changes Take Effect July 1, 2019
Effective July 1, 2019, amendments to the Private Managed Forest Land Council Regulation (Council Regulation) will come into force.
Owners of managed forest land in British Columbia subject to the Private Managed Forest Land Act are currently required to protect Licensed Waterworks Intakes (LWI). Starting July 1, the Council Regulation will require private managed forest landowners, while conducting forest management activities, to protect licensed drinking water intakes issued for a domestic or industrial purpose. Owners must not cause a material adverse effect to water quality in a stream that may affect human health at the point of diversion.
Other amendments include:
- a requirement to submit a Management Commitment Amendment within 60 days of disposal of a portion of a managed forest, and
- removal of extended reforestation timelines for new owners who have reforestation obligations related to areas harvested by a previous owner.
Private Managed Forest Land Program Review
The Province of British Columbia has initiated a review of the Private Managed Forest Land Program and has set up a public engagement website to collect feedback on the program and its current legislation, the Private Managed Forest Land Act.
As an owner of a managed forest in British Columbia, we encourage you to participate in the public engagement process by completing the Government's online survey. The survey closing date has been extended to July 22, 2019, 4:00 pm.
To access the Province's public engagement site and associated survey, click on this link.
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