Private Managed Forest Land

Private Forest Land

In British Columbia, 95% of land is publicly owned. About 2 million hectares of BC's forests are privately owned. Of this 3 million hectares, over 832,000 hectares is classified as Managed Forest. Private forest land sustains forest resource employment, fibre supply, tax revenues, recreation, water, fish, and wildlife. There are an estimated 20,000 private forest owners in British Columbia.

Managed Forest land supports some of the best managed and most productive forests anywhere. Owners invest their own money in making sure these forests are protected and renewed. Security of ownership and freedom to manage lands under the Managed Forest designation has encouraged investment and innovation through the full cycle of harvesting, reforestation and stand management. Many new forest practices that were developed on private lands, such as specialized harvesting techniques, are now used on Crown Land.

Managed Forest

Managed forest is a property assessment classification established by the provincial government in 1988, designed to encourage private landowners to manage their forest lands for long term forest production. Landowners who commit to reforestation receive a managed forest property tax assessment status. To obtain this classification, a landowner must file a Management Commitment with the Private Managed Forest Land Council.

All Managed Forest owners must provide information on harvesting, road construction and reforestation activities that have taken place on their lands. All Managed Forests must be managed in accordance with the Private Managed Forest Land Act and associated Regulations.

The Private Managed Forest Land Council is an independent provincial agency responsible for the administrative of the Managed Forest program.

For more information on the Council and Managed Forest Class, please visit the Private Managed Forest Land Council's web site

Private Land Ownership

All Private Managed forest land must be used in accordance with the Private Forest Land Act. Private forest land outside of the Managed Forest program is not subject to these regulations.

Private forest land in BC may be classified into one of the following: