Big expectations for small forest tenures in British Columbia

Abstract

Small tenures diversify British Columbia?s forest tenure system and create new opportunities for local involvement in forest management. Held by local people and organizations, small tenures generate expectations that forest management will reflect a broad range of community values for forest use. Woodlot Licences and Community Forest Agreements (CFAs) are small, area-based, long-term licences that grant exclusive rights to manage and harvest timber on public land. Community Forest Agreements also include limited rights to botanical non-timber forest products. All tenures, whether large or small, carry rules established by the provincial forestry legislative and regulatory framework. Award and renewal of cfas is conditional upon demonstrating community support and receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range. Small tenures are growing in popularity, but account for only a tiny fraction of the provincial forest land base and allowable annual cut. Despite their size, there are big expectations that woodlots and community forests will introduce new ways of managing forests in British Columbia.