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In British
Columbia, where 94 per cent of the land is owned by the public,
harvest of the land base (Crown land) results in the generation
of revenue for the Crown.
For every log removed from Crown land, a fee called "stumpage"
is paid by the agent removing the timber. The stumpage fee
is calculated for every log and is paid out based on the amount
of cubic metres of wood that are removed. Stumpage rates
are calculated using data collected by timber cruisers who give
an initial assessment of the volume and value of the trees, the
cost of logging, and the market value of the timber.
The agent removing the wood is later billed by the volume that
is collected through the process of scaling the timber.
Once harvested, the logs removed
from the harvest area are taken to a scale site, such as a dry land sort
or a weight scale where the logs are measured and graded.
The scale data is submitted to the Harvest Billing System for
issuing invoices.
Often, the harvesting
company does not take all the harvested wood to the scaling
site, so a waste and residue survey is done to
calculate and assess the amount of volume that has been left in
the harvest area. An additional billing may be issued if
the amount of waste is deemed excessive.
The revenue responsibilities of
the ministry involve regulating and monitoring timber cruising, harvest
appraisal data (which assesses stumpage rates based on timber
values and logging costs), scaling, and residue and waste
assessments.
Ministry of Forests and Range staff check the work carried out
by timber cruisers, scalers, and waste and residue surveyors to
ensure the rules for data collection are being followed.
To learn more about the following
areas, please follow the links below.
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