Effective immediately, the new allowable annual cut for Tree Farm Licence 6 will be 1,160,000 cubic metres, chief forester Jim Snetsinger announced.

This new cut level, about eight per cent lower than before, reflects the decrease in timber supply that will occur as harvesting in old growth stands decreases and before second growth stands are ready for harvest. The new cut also reflects the reduced area of the tree farm licence, due to private land deletions and areas allocated to BC Timber Sales and the North Island community forest agreement.

Tree Farm Licence 6 occupies 171,441 hectares of Crown land near Quatsino Sound on northern Vancouver Island, near the communities of Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Port Alice. The logging rights are held by Western Forest Products.

Quick Facts:

• The chief forester's determination is an independent professional judgment based on information ranging from technical forestry reports, First Nations and public input to the government's social and economic goals.
• Under the timber supply review, the chief forester or deputy chief forester must determine how much wood can be harvested in each of the province's 37 timber supply areas and 34 tree farm licences at least once every 10 years.
• A new allowable annual cut may be determined earlier in response to abnormal situations, or postponed for up to five years if an allowable annual cut level is not expected to change significantly.

Learn More:

The chief forester's allowable annual cut determination is available from the North Island Central Coast Resource District office in Port McNeill or online at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/

Contact:

Brennan Clarke
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261