BC Timber Sales (BCTS) was established in 2003 to manage harvesting and reforestation on a significant portion of British Columbia’s provincial forest, providing benchmark costs and prices for provincial public timber harvesting in British Columbia.

By auctioning timber to the highest bidder, BCTS is able to provide the ministry with data that is used to set long-term rates for tenure holders that ensure British Columbians receive a fair return for harvested timber. BCTS sustainably manages about 20% of the Province’s allowable annual cut through 12 business areas.

• In 2017-18, BCTS generated $359 million in gross revenue for the Province, including $15 million from the Sunshine Coast alone, which is in the Chinook Business Area. Revenue from BCTS operations support other government programs and infrastructure such as highways, hospitals, schools and provincial parks.
• The Chinook Business Area is planning to auction two timber sale licences (TSL) in the Dakota Creek and Dakota Ridge areas:
  • TSL A87126, in the Dakota Creek drainage, located 9.5 kilometres from Roberts Creek, is scheduled for auction in spring 2020.
  • TSL TA0021, located on Dakota Ridge, 6.2 kilometres from Roberts Creek, is scheduled for auction in spring 2019.
• As is normal practice, BCTS hired an archeologist to survey TSL A87126 for culturally modified trees (CMT). A CMT is a tree that has been altered by Indigenous peoples as part of their traditional use of the forest.
• As part of its commitment to working closely with communities and First Nations, in November 2018, BCTS and Squamish Nation conducted a collaborative review of the identified CMTs and agreed they would all be registered with the provincial Archeology Branch and excluded from TSL A87126.
• Media articles have expressed concerns with logging old growth in the Dakota area. Notably, TSL TA0021 is comprised of second-growth timber averaging 70 years old.

Learn More:

For a video about the BC Timber Sales program and operations, visit: youtu.be/sJDLHYyGVg8