On Monday, December 2, 2024, right after a week of freezing temperatures and a foot of snow (my favourite type of winter), the Stuart Nechako Woodlot Association and the Prince George Woodlot Association braved the +2 temperatures with scattered rain showers (yuck) to check out a commercial thinning operation near Cluculz Lake. The site was a 55-year-old pine, spruce, black spruce stand on private land that was attached to a woodlot. It is likely a failed ag lease, meaning it was awarded by the government for the purposes of agriculture, was cleared and then left. As trees do, they germinated…
Articles and Bulletins
Four Steps to Burning
By Melissa Steidle
Oh, it’s the fun time of year, when everyone gets out those drip torches and mixes up a secret sauce to go burning. So fun! And probably the highest risk activity you undertake on your woodlot. Four things to remember to do before you light up, one of which applies regardless of whether you light up or not (paperwork). The Burning Registration Number The Fireguard The Smoke (Venting) The Paperwork In that order, no exceptions. If you have logged, but can’t burn because waste assessments aren’t done or venting won’t let you burn, you still must fill out the Fuel…
Sowing and Planting
By Melissa Steidle
It doesn’t really seem like we should be talking about planting, but it is fall and people are completing request keys in SPAR to get trees organized for next year or more likely, 2026. I’ve got some tips, tricks and short cuts for you, as well as free-ish stuff! I learned at the recent conference, as we were touring through the Quesnel PRT nursery that they replace their greenhouse plastic and then they give it away! At least three of us were trying to figure out how to cram it into or tie it onto the top of our very small…
Woodlots Weekly
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset
Seeking Board Directors
Woodlots BC is governed by a Board of Directors elected from the woodlot holders of the Province. Currently there are seven Board members, all voted to their position at the Cranbrook AGM in 2023, and one Government appointed non-voting member. The Board is currently seeking nominations to fill three outgoing directorship positions, each with a 2 year term. Candidates should be prepared to participate in four quarterly online meetings, and a few face-to-face gatherings, as well as potential duty on a Board Committee such as the Governance and Nominations Committee or the Financial Risk and Oversight Committees. Volunteering on the Board…
Safer routes with resilient forests
By Melissa Steidle
McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest (MLMCF) has been working towards Climate Resiliency within areas of the Community Forest that are near the highway corridor as the town of Mackenzie has one route into and out of the community. In the event of a wildfire, the community wanted to ensure the residents had a safe route out. To accomplish this, the Community Forest requested additional tenure area, that along Highway 97 and Highway 39. The MLMCF acquired much of the land tenure along Highway 39 in 2022 and since then has taken a proactive approach to wildfire resilience planning, implementation, and…
Locally Managed Forests Make a Difference
By Melissa Steidle
Community forests are woodlots’ younger siblings that were born bigger and bolder! They are area-based tenures created for communities and now the forests are being managed, and re-imagined by their local communities. The beautiful thing about small and smallish local based area tenures is that solutions for local concerns are being developed by local communities. Gord and I attended the BC Community Forests AGM this week (June 11-13, 2024) held in bright and beautiful Mackenzie, BC. I haven’t been to Mackenzie for a number of years, more like a number of decades and it was a very surprising little town.…
Open Fire Policy Changes
By Melissa Steidle
Hot off the press is a new Open Fire Policy. The effective date was March 31, 2024. The Open Burning Policy breaks burning into four Open Fire categories. Category 1 Open Fire is a campfire, the largest is a Category 4 Open Fire, which is a prescribed fire such as a broadcast burn. On your woodlot, your pile burning is likely a Category 3 Open Fire: Three or more piles each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width One or more piles each exceeding 2 metres in height or 3 metres in width One or more…
Migratory Birds: What’s Your Role?
By Mike Larock
Spring is here! What do you see in your forests? Are the buds swelling on trees, does the bark of young trees scar easily, are some flowers blooming, like skunk cabbage flowers, or do you notice many more birds singing in the forest. It’s that time of year when the birds are returning to our regions and our forests to begin their nesting. The Migratory Bird Regulation places responsibility on a person for migratory birds and their nests, whether on crown or private land. Incidental take is the damage or destruction of eggs or nests during routine industrial activities, such…
Fire season is upon us, don’t be an overachiever
By Melissa Steidle
Let’s face it, we all like burning. There is some instinctual need to light up a pile and bask in its warmth. Nothing beats sitting around a campfire, cooking food and feeling the radiant heat of the fire, while your back freezes. And then add a drip torch full of your own special blend of gas, diesel and secret sauce with a couple km of roads full of piles to burn. Sometimes those are the best days in the bush. For one, there is a built road and second, the blowdown is all in the pile instead of something to…
Choosing Seed using the Climate Based Seed Transfer Guidelines
By Melissa Steidle
If you’ve ever ordered your own seed or bought overruns you’ll have heard about seed transfer guidelines. Trees grow best in the spot they’ve evolved to grow in. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but trees don’t move around much, or at least not until they are cut down. Then they go on a road trip. When they are alive, growth rate and vigour are based on the resources their roots can access. They can’t travel south when it gets cold, or find a shady spot when the temperature skyrockets. In order to survive, trees are incredibly diverse and families…
Analyzing a Decade: Unveiling Findings from Forest Practices Board Reports on Provincial Woodlot Licences
By Tyler Hodgkinson
This retrospective report prepared by Tyler Hodgkinson, Southern Regional Rep, FBCWA, aims to provide an analytical review of Board reports, highlighting the findings and areas of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and Wildfire Act (WA) that woodlot licensees should strive to improve. FPB Audit Retrospective Analysis
Woodlot Response to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework
By Melissa Steidle
Has anyone heard about the B.C. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework? Another report you say? When will this end? I can only read reports like this in the old paper format and my printer has been well used these last four months. The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (let’s call it the B&EH, to save some space) was released in November of 2023. It was based on another report, that you all know called “A New Future For Old Forests Summary Report”. You may not know that name, but it’s the report that gave us deferred Old Growth Areas, Ancient…
Planting Time – Procuring Seedlings
By Melissa Steidle
When was the last time you planted a million trees? Last year, it turns out! BC woodlots as a whole likely planted over 1 million trees last year (based on some rough math and assumptions). Woodlots are a great place to plant trees to sequester carbon, then cut them down and store carbon in your house as 2×6 studs and beautiful woodwork. So, how do we find those rascally little seedlings to plant on our woodlots? Over the years the seedlings available on the open market have changed. With wildfires and reforestation programs, overruns are not necessarily available. Here is…
2021 Bill 28
What to do if your woodlot is to be cancelled by government? There are currently 8 woodlots in the province that have been notified informally that their woodlot tenure will likely end. The important aspects are being informed, being current with obligations and costs, being engaged with local First Nations, the public, the Ministry of Forests and Woodlots BC.
Woodlot Licence Replacement Considerations
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset
Ancient and Remnant Old Growth on Woodlot Licences
Below are documents containing important updated information regarding ancient and remnant (rare) old growth on Woodlot Licences. 2022.05.16 FBCWA Remnant & Ancient OG Letter to WLs 2022.05.16 WL Sch B – Ancient & Remnant OG Polygons 2022.05.16 Using iMapBC to Locate Ancient & Remnant OG on a WL
Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel Priority Deferral Areas – Woodlot Licences
All Active WL Sched B vs OG Deferral Type 2021-12-31 for Distribution
FLNRORD Old Growth Technical Briefing Q&A
OG Industry Technical Briefing Q&A – Nov 6-8, 2021
Chief Forester Memo – Road Reporting 1 CP on WL Licence
Chief Forester Memo – Road Reporting 1 CP on WL Licence_(July 5 2019)
Purchasers of Private Managed Forest Land
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset
Revised Woodlot Licence Plan Template
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset
Transitioning BC to Climate Based Seed Transfer
Climate Based Seed Transfer Information Bulletin 4.5.2018
Woodlot Licence Plan Extensions
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset
Disposition of Woodlot Licences
Members Only Woodlot Licensees and individuals directly involved in small-scale forest management are given access to guides and tools as well as government resources related to managing a woodlot licence. Contact communications@woodlotsbc.ca for more information or if you have a specific inquiry about woodlot management. This content is secure and requires Member log-in: Existing Users Log InEmailPassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset