B.C. Provincial Government to Suspend Collection of Stumpage Fees for 3 Months

B.C. Forest Minster Doug Donaldson said on Thursday (4/30) that the provincial government will not collect stumpage fees for the next three months. Stumpage is the fee forest operators pay the province to harvest, buy or sell trees from Crown land. This in an effort to help forest companies with their finances during the COVID-19 crisis. The Council of Forest Industries, which represents the majority of B.C.’s lumber and pulp producers said the announcement will help the industry during the pandemic. Council president Susan Yurkovich said in a prepared statement said that “The deferral of stumpage fees is an important short-term measure to help alleviate some of the unprecedented financial pressure brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. It will help B.C.’s forest companies put people back to work in communities as markets come back and we move towards economic recovery.”