BC Timber Appraisals by a Registered Professional Forester
When a BC energy project cuts Crown timber, stumpage is payable to the province, worked out under the Ministry of Forests' interior or coast appraisal manual. In the Interior, the estimate for a Master or Occupant Licence to Cut of 10 to 250 hectares, or any linear tenure, must be completed, signed and sealed by a Forest Professional registered and in good standing with Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC).
BC timber appraisals are prepared and signed by Jon Gibbons, RPF.
What’s included
- Crown land onlyOwnership checked against ParcelMap BC and private land taken out first.
- Area-by-area classesEvery inventory polygon on the new cut classed, with its tree height and the height's source recorded.
- Filing packageShapefile, maps and values, ready to submit.
- RPF signedReviewed, signed and sealed by a Registered Professional Forester.
Questions
When is a BC timber appraisal needed?
When a project cuts Crown timber: operators must report and pay the province for it, whether or not they use it. For energy resource activities, the BC Energy Regulator issues cutting permits under a Master Licence to Cut, and stumpage is payable according to the interior or coast appraisal manual. For other projects on Crown land, the holder of a right to occupy the land, such as a lease, applies for an Occupant Licence to Cut.
How is a BC timber appraisal priced for a linear project?
In the Interior, by area: the area in each forest class multiplied by the rates in effect on the cutting authority's effective date. This applies to every linear tenure whatever its size, and non-forest areas have a stumpage rate of zero. All cutting authorities in a district for the same project, such as one pipeline or transmission line, must be priced under the same section of the manual.
Can the forest classes come from a map alone?
No. In the Interior, the classes must be checked on the ground, from the air or on imagery: classing based only on a map exercise is not accepted.
What if less area is cleared than was permitted?
No amendment is needed: a smaller area of cut is dealt with through the post-construction process. The post-construction plan is due within 60 days of completing construction. It carries the as-cleared areas, which the Regulator forwards to the Ministry of Forests for stumpage billing.
Who prepares Access Forestry's BC timber appraisals?
Jon Gibbons, RPF, who prepares and signs them. He is a Registered Professional Forester with Amuri Forest Management Ltd., based in BC’s Peace region.