Mission and Organization

The Woodlot Product Development Council (WPDC) was established in 1997 following a vote by woodlot licensees in support of forming the Council. All registered holders of a woodlot licence are members of the Woodlot Product Development Council.

The Federation of BC Woodlot Associations (FBCWA) was a non-profit society established in 1988 to represent the interests of woodlot licensees and woodlot owners throughout BC. The Federation was the umbrella organization for BC’s 17 Woodlot Associations whose membership are united in an effort to achieve exemplary forest and natural resource management.

The primary purpose of the Council is to promote a positive image of the woodlot industry and its products throughout the province. The Council educates both the general public and buyers about the woodlot industry and the benefits of woodlots and small-scale woodlot management; and initiate and/or support research and extension programs for the development and enhancement of the woodlot industry in the province.

The Council provides support for programs and activities that simplify administrative procedures and regulations for woodlot licensees and enhance the woodlot industry.

The Council collects and administers a $0.25/m3 levy on Crown timber from each woodlot licensee under the authority granted under the Farming and Fishing Industries Development Act.

Although the Council is a separate and distinct organization, it worked in direct association with the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations to provide support for goals and initiatives for all woodlot licensees in the province.

In 2023, at the AGM in Cranbrook, BC, woodlot licensees voted to move all operations from the Federation to the Woodlot Product Development Council, with the intention of combining the two organizations into one. Since April 1, 2024, the WPDC has been doing business as Woodlots BC. At the 2024 AGM, the Federation voted to dissolve.

In March 1997, the Woodlot Licensees of BC passed a plebiscite by a vote of 78% in support of developing a Council to collect and administer 25 cents per cubic meter of Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) from each licensee. The Council was established in January 1998 and developed a Memorandum of Understanding cementing a strong working agreement between the Federation of British Columbia Woodlot Associations and the Council. The purpose of the Council is to provide financial support for Woodlot Licensee initiatives in the Province of BC.

The levy is the only sustainable fund for woodlot licensees in BC. It supports work on stumpage appraisal issues, streamlining administration and communications.

Annually, a questionnaire is sent out to all woodlot licensees in the province, asking for input and direction as to how to prioritize spending of the levy money. The survey results are presented to the directors of the Council and the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations. A joint steering committee, with representatives from the FBCWA and the WPDC, develops an annual work plan and budget.

The Woodlot Product Development Council Levy Direct Benefits to Woodlot Licensees

Seven volunteer directors who are all woodlot licensees administer the fund. To ensure that the Board of Directors is composed of members representing all areas of the province, Council seeks directors from each of the six old Forest regions and a director from the Peace. The forest regions are Cariboo, Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, Prince Rupert and Vancouver. In addition, two staff personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Forests provide supportive advice to the Board. A paid coordinator provides support to the volunteer executive of the WPDC, the FBCWA, and all woodlot licensees.

It is important to recognize that for years, the FBCWA has been functioning on the hard work and dedication of some very committed volunteers. As with any volunteer group, the desire, dedication and mostly the energy of those people is limited due to other commitments for their time.

With the growing size of the Woodlot program (850+ licensees), increased regulations and bureaucracy, and a decreasing Federation bank account balance, it became very clear that a means to remove the burden on the volunteers was required.

In order to ensure that woodlot licensees have a strong and united voice in the province, and a more effective means of getting things done, the fund was established. The funds provide financial support to identified areas that are crucial to the viability of woodlot management in BC.

There have been a number of changes to the organizational structure of the Woodlot Product Development Council (WPDC) over the years.

Originally when the WPDC was formed in 1998, the Board of Directors was comprised of eight voting directors, six selected from the woodlot licensees, one appointed member from the processing sector and one appointed from the government. There was also an appointed non-voting government liaison. The position of the appointed member from the processing sector has been vacant for a number of years.

In April 2003, government made a decision as follows. “Cabinet has decided that government will no longer make appointments to most agencies, including industry development councils.” What this means to the WPDC is that government representatives are no longer officially appointed to the Council. However government has continued supporting the WPDC in a non-voting capacity by having a representative attend their meetings. As a result Council decided to add one more woodlot licensee as a voting member to the Board of Directors.

To ensure that the Board is composed of members representing all areas of the province, Council has decided to include directors from each of the six old Forest Region boundaries and a director for the Peace. The Forest Regions are Cariboo, Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, Prince Rupert and Vancouver.

Each directorship is for a two-year term. In any one year, half of the directorships will be filled and half will remain, ensuring continuity from year to year.

The primary purpose of the Council is to ensure that levy funds are spent on woodlot licensee priorities that will benefit and promote the woodlot industry throughout the province of British Columbia. Funds are collected through the powers granted to the Council under the Farming and Fishing Industries Development Act.

The Council Board is always looking for woodlot licensees to provide leadership to the executive management team of the WPDC in meeting the Council’s mandate.

The next call for nominations will be prior to the next AGM.

Completed Projects

Fire Hazard Assessment (Al Waters, July 15, 2020):

• Fire Hazard Assessment and Abatement on Woodlot Licence Harvest Areas (Includes Template)
• Fire Hazard Assessment and Abatement Almanac Article

About Extraordinary Project Proposals

Commencing in the 2017-18 fiscal year, the Board of Directors for the Woodlot Product Development Council (WPDC) offered a pilot initiative to allocate funds to Extraordinary Projects that were not included in the annual work plan. Eligible proponents had to be one of the following: Woodlot Licensee, Woodlot Association, WPDC Board of Directors or Federation of BC Woodlot Associations (FBCWA) Board of Directors. The total annual amount allotted was $100,000. Initial intake for submitting applications began November 1, 2017 with no cut-off deadline for the pilot year. After the first intake of November 1, 2017, applications continued to be received until the end of the fiscal year. In the event of competing proposals, the Board assigned the highest priority to Provincial projects that benefit the most woodlot licensees, a medium priority for regional and a lower priority for association level projects. The program ended in 2023.

Below is a table of the projects awarded and completed from 2017-2023:

Woodlot Product Development Council Extraordinary Project Proposals Summary

Recent Completed Projects

• Forest Carbon and Woodlot Licences (2023)
• Woodlot Succession and Tax Planning Guide revised September 2022