Tenure reform in British Columbia: Developing tenure that benefits communities

Tenure reform in British Columbia has been ongoing since the first Timber Licences were granted by the provincial government in 1888. During the last century, four Royal Commissions of Inquiry sought to redefine the ways in which timber resources were distributed. The primary objective of each Commission was to recommend how to make forest legislation reflect the needs of the day. The first of these, the 1909 Fulton Commission, was struck explicitly to examine the recent “timber staking” rush (over 13,500 Timber Licences were granted during a few months), and the subsequent decision to suspend further licensing (Pearse 1976). Fulton’s recommendations lead to the creation of the province's first Forest Act. Two Royal Commissions headed by Gordon Sloan in 1945 and 1956 resulted in the introduction of new forms of forest tenure to encourage investment, and the adoption of “sustained yield forestry” (Sloan 1945). The fourth Royal Commission in 1976, headed by Dr. Peter Pearse, made recommendations that lead to further changes in the Forest Act in 1978. These changes included increased opportunities for small operators to access the timber supply.