BC Announces Amendments to the Province’s Lumber Regulations

On Monday (12-4-23), the British Columbia Provincial Government announced that it was adding new amendments to its lumber regulations. The proposed amendments will provide more opportunities for wood products to be manufactured in the province, further strengthening the forestry sector and create more family-supporting jobs, according to the press release.

The changes to the Manufactured Forest Products Regulation are being introduced in the Interior of BC to expand manufacturing requirements for the export of cedar and cypress lumber. The changes are set to come into effect on Februarya 1st, 2024, and will require mills in the Interior to fully manufacture cedar and cypress wood that has been harvested.

The Manufactured Forest Products Regulation, introduced in 2003, defines the criteria that products must meet to be considered a manufactured product under the Forest Act. Under the current regulation, minimally processed cedar and cypress lumber in the Interior may be exported without further manufacture. These changes will open up opportunities to make higher-value wood products in BC.

Building on previous amendments introduced in 2020 for mills in the coastal region, the regulation updates support work already underway to get more value from every tree harvested by strengthening the wood manufacturing industry, the government said. In the coastal region, these export requirements have reduced the volume of minimally processed cedar leaving the province.

Examples of manufactured wood products include veneer, panel products, decking, flooring, moldings, shingles, and siding. Wood products that do not meet specifications in the regulation, such as logs, must obtain an exemption from the manufacturing requirement and pay a fee-in-lieu of manufacture to the Province.