What Are Special Use Permits?

A special use permit gives non exclusive authority to a company or an individual to occupy and use an area of Crown Land , within the Provincial Forest , when they have demonstrated to the District Manager that the intended use is in accordance with the Provincial Forest Use Regulation and related legislation.  Annual rent is payable on Special Use Permits.  Please ensure that you have received your special use permit documents before proceeding with any operations.

What Are Acceptable Uses Of Provincial Forest Land the District Manager Will Consider?

They are for forestry use of the following:

·         construction and maintenance of a road, including construction and maintenance of bridges and other drainage structures;

·         sand pits, gravel pits, rock quarries and other quarries that provide materials for road construction, modification or maintenance authorized under the Forest Act;

·         a communications site;

·         a logging camp and associated facilities, including a waste disposal site;

·         a log dump or dry land sort;

·         a **temporary timber processing site;

·         a lookout;

·         a weather station;

·         an airstrip, helipad or other air transportation landing site;

·         educational or research purposes;  and,

·         weigh scales.

 **temporary timber processing site defined as:

A temporary facility that is designed for short-term use only of up to a three-year term, with no extension provisions beyond five years.  This temporary facility generally would include a self contained and powered portable mill, which does not require permanent installation of sawmill components and/or the use of permanent type buildings or foundations.  Upon termination of the Special Use Permit, the site must be returned to the condition, as it was when the permit was issued, or as approved in writing by a Forest Official.  Cleanup of the site would include the removal of all items brought onto the site including any sawmill waste byproducts. All applications must include provisions to deal with all waste generated on the site (wood waste, sewer & garbage) by way of any applicable waste management permits.

 Which Uses Of Provincial Forest Land And Other Crown Land Do B. C. Assets And Land Corporation Administer?

Nanaimo Office Phone: (250) 741-5650 or call Enquiry B. C. at 1 800 663-7867

 The following non-forestry uses:

·         agriculture;

·         if access to existing residences is not practicable, temporary residences for workers, including camps, and individual residences;

·         sand pits, gravel pits, rock quarries and other quarries that provide materials for industrial, commercial or domestic use;

·         commercial recreation uses and facilities and ancillary improvements, including

(i)  ski facilities,

(ii) hunting lodges,

(iii) fishing lodges, and

(iv) trails;

·         commercial film production;

·         navigational aids;

·         construction and maintenance of a road, including construction and maintenance of bridges and other drainage structures;

·         a utilities right-of-way, including

(i)  a highway,

(ii) a railway,

(iii) a transmission line, or

(iv) a pipeline;

·         a weather station site;

·         a communications site;  and,

·         educational or research purposes.

How Do I Apply?

Special use permit content checklists attached to this guide are for the following applications:

1.       Roads

2.       Gravel & Rock Pits

3.       Other Uses

 When you have selected which use is applicable, complete the application package as indicated in the corresponding content checklist, then bring it or send to our Port Alberni office.  You can also drop it off at our Cobble Hill Office if that is more convenient and they will forward it to the Port Alberni office.

 At that time, we will review your application, send out referrals to agencies or individuals potentially impacted by your proposal, complete the land title clearance checks and then complete processing your application.  At that point, if land use issues are addressed, and it is in accordance with the Provincial Forest Use Regulation and related legislation, it will be presented to the district manager for approval considerations.

 If your proposal requires the cutting of crown timber, a licence to cut is also required.    Major licensees can apply for cutting permit authority instead of a licence to cut for areas within their tenure.  You can submit a licence to cut application with your special use permit application in order that they can be reviewed together.

Please ensure that your application is submitted as far in advance as possible as it will normally take about three months to complete the application review.

Who Do I Contact If I Have Any Questions?

You can contact the Planning or Tenures Departments at the South Island Forest District ( Port Alberni office) for additional information.

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