Policy Manual

Key Indexes

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

Volume 1 - Resource Management
Chapter 8 - Tenure Administration

Policy 8.8 - Woodlot Licence Program-Private Land Deletions

Effective Date:  March 9, 2012
Updated:  March 12, 2012
Responsible Branch:  Forest Tenures Branch

Resource Management Volume Table of Contents | Amendment Log

Scope

This policy establishes the criteria for the deletion of private land from woodlot licences (Forest Act s. 47.1(2)(b)).  It applies to all woodlot licences.

Policy

It is the policy of this Ministry that:

  • The prior written consent of the Minister (or delegate) is required to delete private land from a woodlot licence. When a request to delete private land is received, the request will be evaluated using the following criteria.

Impact on Management

The minimum requirements that must be met for private land to be deleted from a woodlot licence are as follows:

  1. The woodlot licence is in good standing with government; specifically, all payments to government (stumpage, waste, annual rent) are up to date.  No significant contraventions of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Forest Act, the Forest Practices Code Act, or the Wildfire Act.  There are no overdue or outstanding licence obligations.

  2. The woodlot licence has been held by the same licensee for a period of at least 10 years and the private land proposed for deletion has been in the woodlot licence for 10 years.

  3. The woodlot licence holder has provided notification and advertised as required outlining their intention to remove the private land from the woodlot licence and has satisfied the decision maker that all inquiries directly pertaining to the private land proposed for deletion have been adequately addressed.

  4. Access to Crown land via existing roads on the private land subject to removal have been adequately addressed.

  5. Any private land removed from an existing woodlot licence held by a person, partnership, or corporation cannot be used by that person, partnership, corporation, the spouse or immediate family of that person, or a partnership or corporation affiliated with the original owner to apply on new woodlot licence opportunities.

Exception
Where the woodlot licence holder has voluntarily added private land to a woodlot licence post award, that additional private land can be removed voluntarily at any time with no restrictions on its future use in applications for new woodlot licence opportunities.

If a request to delete private land is approved, the decision maker may request a new or amended Management Plan and/or Woodlot Licence Plan to account for the area being deleted.

References