To apply on-line,
click here.
Before accessing this on-line application process, please have the
following information ready:
You may also apply in
person at your local forest district office. Carry your permit and
identification with you, as you are required by law to produce both
if requested by a Forest Officer or Police Officer.
The Forest
and Range Practices Act prohibits harvest of any timber without proper authorization.
This includes dead and down timber or logging residue. The Forest Act
requires all forest products being transported in any manner to have the
necessary documentation. The North Island - Central Coast Forest District “Free Use Permit” is the
necessary documentation. Having this permit will assist the Ministry of
Forests and Range, and/or other enforcement agencies, in policing wood transportation.
You need a Free Use Permit. Only
permits authorised through the Ministry of Forests are valid.
You need a separate permit for
each vehicle involved in the transport and/or harvesting of domestic
firewood, including the transport of any firewood originating from private
land. If there is no vehicle on site during the active harvesting of
firewood, there must be a permit on site with the person/s doing the
harvesting.
Yes, if you wish to cut on areas
under an existing tenure or permit with another person or forest company,
such as a Wood Lot, Tree Farm License, or private land held by a forest
company. If you are unsure as to where these types of tenures exist, you
should get an agreement from the forest company in question. The Ministry
of Forests and Range has created a map illustrating these tenures with contact
numbers. This map is available for viewing at the Ministry of Forests
and Range office in Port McNeill, at other government agencies, and with participating
forest companies.
Firewood can be cut from roadside logging debris in the designated
cutting area.
With a permit,
you may cut on any previously harvested area on vacant crown land where the
regeneration has not exceeded 7 meters (23 feet) in height, within the North
Island - Central Coast Forest District. Maps will be available for viewing
where permits are attained which will assist in locating Crown land however
the onus is on the permittee to ensure that they are not cutting on any
unauthorized area. Forest company representatives and MFR staff may also be
of assistance in identifying suitable areas.
·
A five (5) meter buffer
must be maintained along all streams, wetlands and lakes.
·
You must have the
agreement of the forest company to cut on their tenures or permitted sites.
·
All reserve zones (unharvested
areas in or adjacent to openings) must be respected. The forest company
providing you the agreement will identify the locations of any reserves.
For any other areas of interest that are not listed below,
please contact the North Island - Central Coast Forest District at (250)
956-5000.
Map(s) for any available firewood areas can be obtained at your local forest district office.
In authorized firewood cutting areas, the following applies:
In former timber sale licence areas: post harvest waste
and residue, piled at roadside may be removed.
For other approved areas: Differences exist North
and South of Cape Caution. Please note the differences before
collection firewood in your area. Failure to comply may lead to
enforcement action.
Debris piles and/or slash are eligible. You may not cut production wood,
such as decked logs in an active setting. If in doubt, do not cut. If there
is decked wood, machinery, or a timber mark posted, it is very likely the
site is still active and you must avoid cutting. Waste piles are an
indicator of an inactive site. It is important to note that the absence of
machinery does not indicate wood has been abandoned. Many commercial
operations will hold inventory at various stages of harvest in the forest.
You may also cut driftwood providing that it is less than 3.6 meters (12
feet) long and is not suitable for lumber, shake, or shingle production.
Again, if in doubt, do not cut.
1) North
of Cape Caution: There is presently no hardwood tenures North of Cape
Caution, consequently, live deciduous trees may be felled and utilized as
firewood.
South of Cape Caution: There is currently a hardwood licence South of
Cape Caution, making all live deciduous trees a potential future commodity
and protected from cutting. Similarly, all live conifers are protected from
cutting. You must have a separate and specific authority in addition to your
Free Use Permit to cut any live tree that are eligible for removal. To
obtain this specific authority, please see the following link that speaks to
cutting live trees creating a potential safety issue to a dwelling.
North of Cape Caution: All dead standing trees
(except Western Red Cedar) may be felled and utilized as firewood. In
recognition of the value cavity nesting trees provide, only those with a
diameter at breast height of 40cm (16 inches) or less are permitted to be
felled.
South of Cape Caution: No standing dead conifers or deciduous may
be cut. Dead trees function as snags and , have environmental value as
nest or perch trees, as well as being host to numerous other organisms.
Snags are only removed under agreements issued by the Crown or tenure
holders may remove snags for safety reasons. A Free Use Permit does not
provide authority to remove a snag for safety purposes.
3)
Slash and debris piles are eligible. In addition, further
options exist to the North of Cape Caution.
3) No.
Personal domestic firewood activities have been exempted, within the North
Island - Central Coast Forest District, from
the Forest Act marking requirements for all timber products under
transport. The Free Use Permit must be with the vehicle. This satisfies
the transportation documentation requirements in the Forest Act and debris
piles. No standing tree, dead or alive, or any species, may be cut for
firewood purposes.
5) No.
There is a requirement under
the Forest Act for all timber products harvested in B.C. to be scaled,
including firewood and wood from private land, however, personal, domestic,
firewood activities have been exempted from this requirement within the
North Island - Central Coast Forest District. Commercial harvesters ( people selling firewood)
are not exempted and must have their product scaled.
It is recommended that all active
logging roads be avoided when hauling is taking place, even if you have a
radio with all the appropriate frequencies. Any increase in traffic
increases the risk to all the users of the road. The forest companies can
tell you which roads are active, which are not, and what would be the best
days and times to use the roads.
North of Cape Caution: A maximum of fifteen (15) cords of wood per
household, per year, can be removed from the area.
South of Cape Caution: A maximum of five (5) cords of wood per
household, per year, can be removed from the area.
The firewood must only be transported to the residence identified on your
permit application, and only in the vehicle bearing the licence plate number
that you provide in your application. As for firewood lengths;
North of Cape Caution: The maximum transport
length of firewood is two (2) metres (seven feet).
South of Cape Caution: must be cut to a length not greater than 46 cm
(18 inches).
Any firewood cut under
this permit is for personal use only and cannot be sold. For
information on commercial firewood cutting permits, please contact
your local forest district and inquire about the Small Scale Salvage
program.
This permit is valid
until the supply of roadside logging debris in the permit area has
been exhausted, or is otherwise disposed of by the Ministry, or
until the end of the calendar year in which the permit was issued,
whichever comes first.
Persons engaging in
firewood cutting under this permit will assume all risk of loss or
injury and save harmless the Crown from all and any claims.
