Why is the Community Forest adopting the Western Forest Products cut-blocks?
In 2006, the BC government granted all Community Forests a very attractive stumpage rate, as an incentive to start logging. Stumpage rate is the price paid to the provincial government by the tenure holder for each cubic metre of wood taken from crown land. Powell River Community Forest had an opportunity to use “category A” blocks of timber from Western Forest Products’ Forest Development Plan (FDP), which had been advertised to the public and approved by the Ministry of Forests several years ago. There was also one block of timber which had been approved under Northwest Hardwoods’ FDP. This opportunity had to be taken before the end of this year, when both Forest Development Plans would expire. The low stumpage rate was not guaranteed after December 31, 2006.
