BC Government Announces New Forestry Program with Dedicated Fiber Supply for Certain Value-Added Manufacturers
New forestry program will expand manufacturing, create jobs
On Tuesday (1-24-23), the BC provincial government announced that for the first time, small and medium-sized secondary manufactures will have a dedicated fiber supply under a new licensing program. The BC Timber Sales (BCTS) Value-Added Manufacturing Program will be open to facilities producing high-value products, such as mass timber, plywood, veneers, paneling, and flooring.
Increasing demand for viable products that can be used as an alternative to carbon-intense construction products, such as cement, has value-added wood products in increasing demand. This growing demand has resulted in steady job growth and market expansion, and by providing greater certainty of long-term timber supply, the new BCTS Program will accelerate further expansion.
In addition, the BCTS Program will be restricted to facilities that have minimal or no forestry tenure and will require that facilities be accredited as value-added, secondary manufacturers. Initially, BCTS will dedicate 10% of its available timber supply to the program for licensees to bid on. More volume is anticipated in the future.
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