PORT MCNEILL—A new woodlot opportunity is available on West Cracroft Island as the Province continues to support new or expanded forestry opportunities for smaller operators, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson announced last week.
The woodlot includes 800 hectares of Crown land in the vicinity of Bones Bay on the north side of West Cracroft Island, and has a proposed allowable annual cut of 4,479 cubic metres. Most of the woodlot is a mix of second-growth hemlock and western red cedar.
"Expanding the woodlot licence program is good for local communities and for the province of B.C.," said Brian McNaughton, general manager, Federation of BC Woodlot Associations. "Each new woodlot licence generates economic activity by creating jobs and providing a source of wood for local milling and manufacturing."
Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 24, at 1:30 p.m. Further details about the new licence are available through the North Island-Central Coast Resource District office at 250-956-5063 or online at: www23.for.gov.bc.ca/notices/ (Ad Notice #7751).
Expanding the woodlot program is one example of how government is supporting job creation and prosperous rural forest economies as part of 'Our Natural Advantage: Forest Sector Strategy for British Columbia'.
Woodlots are replaceable tenures, usually awarded for an initial term of 20 years. There are currently about 860 active woodlots in British Columbia.