New Protections Benefit Forests, Communities

The Province is making changes to enable more effective stewardship of the landscape, including forests, and the revitalization of cultural and prescribed fire and new compliance and enforcement measures.

“Forests are essential to a healthy environment and provide good jobs to tens of thousands of British Columbians,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests.

“That’s why we’re taking action to strengthen how we steward our natural resources, to better protect the province’s forests and ecosystems, conserve fibre supply and expand our use of prescribed fire to reduce the risk of future wildfires.”

If passed, amendments to the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Forest Act, and the Wildfire Act will help address public and First Nations’ interests in how forests are managed, giving government new tools to manage Crown land timber harvesting.

These changes support actions underway to better care for forests in the face of climate change and extreme weather events.

The Forest and Range Practices Act governs how forest and range practices and activities are conducted on B.C.’s public lands.

Changes to the act will provide new tools to the Ministry of Forests’ compliance and enforcement team to better enforce natural resource laws in the province.

The province says the changes will strengthen the protection of First Nations values and interests and allow for a greater range of contravention penalties, ensuring there are appropriate consequences for non-compliance.

Amendments to the Wildfire Act will give prescribed fire legal standing in B.C.’s forest management tool kit, enabling government to expand work with First Nations and other partners on cultural and prescribed burns, when requested.

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia.