Forests Minister Katrine Conroy introduced a 160-page set of amendments this week, building on earlier changes that she has described as making the province “the landlord of the forests again.” It formalizes Premier John Horgan’s commitment to fund reassignment of existing timber licences to Indigenous communities, first used with a $2.5 million payment to the Simpcw First Nation for a share of timber rights transferred from Canfor Corp.
“The proposed legislation will establish a tool that will enable government to reduce timber harvesting rights of existing forest tenure holders, provide compensation and redistribute the timber harvesting rights to First Nations and communities,” Conroy told the B.C.
Liberal government’s “results-based” logging plans, with the province regaining direct control over road building, and giving the Chief Forester authority to set tree planting standards for harvest areas and after large wildfires.
“We’re also requiring transparency by requiring area-based tenure holders to share forest inventory information with the chief forester,” Conroy said of the latest changes.
Conroy has also moved ahead with a plan to defer logging on up to 26,000 square kilometres of old-growth forest identified in a review the industry has criticized for its influence by Sierra Club B.C.