Summary

• Removing red tape has sped up permitting, allowing for more wood to be salvaged, quicker
• Wildfire Salvage Opportunity Agreements have meant more meaningful First Nations participation in the forestry sector
• The release of the Wildfire Timber Salvage Planning and Administration Guidebook and Strategy Template provides clear, consistent guidance on salvage

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Working with the forestry sector, First Nations and local governments, the Ministry of Forests cut red tape in 2025, making it easier to harvest burned timber and get the wood into local mills.

Heading into 2026, that work continues, turning the devastation of wildfires into opportunities that help protect good-paying forestry jobs.

“We’re taking the damage from wildfires and turning it into jobs for communities and paycheques for workers,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “We can’t let a single log go to waste in B.C., and that includes logs that have been burned in wildfires that can instead be used in local mills. This is how we protect workers from the impact of wildfire, by getting creative and finding new opportunities to keep forestry operations running.”

What happens after a wildfire

Wildfires are part of nature, but because of climate change, they are happening more often, burning hotter and covering larger areas. Salvage logging is crucial for local forestry operators and plays a critical part in helping the land base recover, including retention and reforestation.

Managing the burned area after a wildfire is key to ensuring short- to long-term timber supply. Rapid salvaging of burned timber is important to ensure the wood is economically viable before it decays.

• Forestry professionals may assess opportunities for timber salvage on the land base while a wildfire is still burning using advanced satellite mapping tools, field reconnaissance and review of issued cutting permits.
• The species of a tree is one determination of how long burned timber is still usable.
• For example, Douglas fir can be turned into lumber for about two to three years after a wildfire.

Mill Creek wildfire salvage

In 2025, two of the fastest-issued salvage cutting permits went to the Coldwater Indian Band to recover timber from the 2025 Mill Creek wildfire. Early collaborative planning between Stuwix Resources, Coldwater Indian Band and BC Timber Sales allowed for more rapid permitting, and salvage is already underway in the roughly 90-hectare area.

Wildfire Salvage Opportunity Agreements

These are agreements between the Province and First Nations that allow for wildfire timber salvage tenures to be directly awarded to a First Nation. Since their introduction in 2022, there have been 22 of these agreements issued to First Nations in B.C. and 12 associated tenures.

Salvage use by the pulp industry

• Prior to 2022, pulp mills rarely accepted burnt timber.
• In 2022, government and industry recognized the opportunity for pulp fibre in the large volume of wildfire-affected fibre, the need for increased salvage of sawlogs, and the importance of creating a chip market to support timber salvage efforts.
• Key challenges were addressed, such as handling and debarking burned logs, maintaining equipment, mitigating dust and blending burnt fibre into pulp.
• Pulp log specifications were developed and shared with sawmills, and collaboration among pulp mills was encouraged.
• In 2023, mills used about 500,000 cubic metres of wildfire chips.
• By 2024–25, that grew to more than 1 million cubic metres or about 7% of all the wood mills process.

Wildfire Timber Salvage Guidebook

In April 2024, the Ministry of Forests brought together representatives from government, the forestry sector and First Nations to create the Wildfire Salvage Leadership Committee with the goal of improving planning, permitting and salvage recovery after a wildfire.

In September 2024, the Wildfire Timber Salvage Planning and Administration Guidebook was released, providing information on cutting permits, Blanket Salvage Cutting Permits, fibre recovery guidelines and the process for salvaging. In February 2025, updates on reforestation, fibre recovery, riparian management and new mapping tools were added.

The guidebook has helped the industry improve consistency and led to faster salvaging following a wildfire, helping to capture the most value from the damaged timber, while respecting environmental and cultural values.

Learn More:

• To read more about Wildfire Salvage Opportunity Agreements, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures/wildfire-salvage-opportunity-agreement
• To read more about the Wildfire Timber Salvage Planning and Administration Guidebook, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures