Summary 

• Combined tenure encompasses more than 682,000 cubic metres of fibre (or more than 15,000 truckloads) per year around Merritt, Oliver, Golden and the Okanagan
• The tenure transfer is part of a sale by Weyerhaeuser to Gorman Group, announced in May 2025
• The tenure provides continued stability for workers and the many forestry professionals who rely on the operation

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The final step in a $120-million investment into B.C.’s forestry sector by a West Kelowna family-owned forestry company has concluded, following the Minister of Forests’ official approval of a tenure transfer from Seattle-based Weyerhaeuser to Gorman Group.

“Gorman Group is investing in the future of forestry, investing in a new chapter for Princeton, and investing in the transformation of the community into a real forestry hub,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “This decision comes down to a simple principle: B.C.’s forests should deliver the greatest possible benefit to the people of B.C. By approving this tenure transfer, we are supporting a company that believes in value-added manufacturing, using every fibre to its fullest potential and keeping jobs here at home.”

Transferred tenures

The transferred tenures total approximately 682,000 cubic metres and consist of:

• forty-six thousand hectares of tenure in Tree Farm Licence 59, near Oliver, providing more than 57,000 cubic metres of harvest per year
• two replaceable forest licences in the Merritt timber supply area, providing more than 538,000 cubic metres of harvest per year
• one replaceable forest licence in the Okanagan timber supply area, providing almost 87,000 cubic metres of harvest per year

The transferred tenures provide a dependable supply of logs at a reasonable cost, securing Gorman Group’s supply chain and value-added wood manufacturing business, and adds to Gorman Group’s existing tenure of approximately 734,000 cubic metres per year.

Gorman Group’s investments in rural B.C.

In May 2025, Weyerhaeuser announced the sale of their Princeton lumber mill’s manufacturing facility and all of its timber tenure agreements in B.C. to a company formed under the Gorman Group, a family-owned company that has been operating for more than 70 years, and along with the new mill in Princeton, is made up of several B.C. companies:

• Canoe Forest Products - Canoe
• Downie Timber - Revelstoke
• Selkirk Cedar - Revelstoke
• Gorman Bros Lumber - West Kelowna
• Lumby Pole Division - Lumby

“We recognize that any Crown tenure transfer comes with important responsibilities and obligations to First Nations, communities and employees who depend on the long-term stewardship of the land and the careful use of the fibre,” said Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Group. “We look forward to working with the First Nation bands, and the people of the Similkameen and Nicola Valleys, toward a new vision of co-operation and working together to find the balance we all seek.”

This tenure transfer supports the continued stability for the unionized workers at the mill in Princeton, as well as a network of independent forestry businesses and professionals, including scalers, weighmasters, silviculture specialists, road construction and maintenance crews, loggers and haulers.

Community engagement

All forest tenure transfer requests undergo a review to:

• consult with First Nations
• assess the effect on the public interest
• ensure the holding of forest tenure is fairly distributed throughout B.C.

Personal, community, environmental and economic values, as well as forestry business relationships, are all considered when assessing the public interest.

“This is a good step forward for a sustainable forestry sector, not only for Princeton and the Similkameen but also for the Merritt timber supply area and the southern Interior,” said Spencer Coyne, mayor of Princeton. “The Princeton mill is a major part of the economic backbone of the Princeton area and has always been an important community partner. Gorman’s has proven itself to be a trusted partner and the Town of Princeton and the community look forward to continuing our relationship.”

During the period of public comment, the Ministry of Forests received nearly 300 letters in support of the tenure transfer from individuals, businesses, First Nations, contractors, community forests and unions.

Learn More:

• To view the details about the transferred tree farm licence, road permits, replaceable forest licences and timber sale licences, visit:
  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures/forest-tenure-administration/timber-tenure-transfer-disposition/public-interest-proposed-timber-tenure-dispositions
• To learn more about timber tenure transfer, visit:
  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/forest-tenures/forest-tenure-administration/timber-tenure-transfer-disposition