The PFLA represents managed forest owners across the province of BC, from the coast to the interior, the large to the small, the veteran forester to the novice tree farmer.
The PFLA participates in the public policy process to ensure government policy is fair, environmentally sound, fiscally responsible and respectful of private property rights.
The PFLA offers workshops and events to foster responsible forest management that supports the protection of key public environmental values.
PFLA members are leaders in private forest research and innovation, pioneering many of today’s most innovative harvesting and silviculture practices.
Although private forest land accounts for a small percentage of the province’s land base (2%), it plays a significant role in the lives of British Columbians.
Of the 2% of land in British Columbia that is private forest land, 51% is managed forest land, 22% is forested farmland and 27% is forested residential.
Section 31 (3) of the Private Managed Forest Land Council Regulation requires owners to reforest harvested areas within five years, but a recent audit report found planting is generally completed within one or two years.
The focus of private forest landowners in the Managed Forest Program is protecting key public environmental values—fish habitat, water quality, soil productivity, critical wildlife habitat and the growing of trees.
Social values, such as visual quality and biodiversity are protected on the public lands that make up over 95% of British Columbia. That said, PFLA members and other private landowners often go out of their way to manage their lands with consideration for these social values.
In total, Private Managed Forest Lands are bound by over 35 different legislative regulations, including:
* Federal Fisheries Act
* Forest Management Regulation
* Water Sustainability Act
* Drinking Water Protection Act
* Private Managed Forest Land Regulation
* Wildlife Act
* Species at Risk Act
* Soil Conservation Act
* Professional Governance Act (formerly Foresters Act)
If you live on Vancouver Island and have stumbled on a gate while hiking, biking or wandering in the woods, you know that some of the island’s forests are privately owned — roughly one-fifth. You might not know that Vancouver Island’s private forest lands are an anomaly in BC, where only around 2% of the total forest land is privately owned (98% is Crown forest land).
The Private Forest Landowners Association is a non-profit society that promotes responsible stewardship on BC’s private managed forest lands.
Reforestation plays a vital role in local economies and employment opportunities, while also being a cornerstone of sustainable forest management. Although planting trees is a major—and often challenging—part of reforestation efforts, it’s by no means the whole story.
