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British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
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100 Mile House District range management records

  • GR-3919
  • Series
  • 1923-2000

This series consists of range management records transferred from the 100 Mile House Forest district in the Cariboo Forest Region, 1923-2000. This series may contain records created by the 100 Mile House, Kamloops, Cariboo, Williams Lake and Clinton Forest Districts and/or Grazing Districts. Note that the names and boundaries of districts and regions varied over the years.

Records relate to the administration of Grazing Licences and Grazing Permits as defined under the Range Act, and Grazing Leases as defined under the Land Act, including issuance, amendments, transfers, billing, monitoring, policy administration, and plans specific to tenures, such as Grazing System Plans. Also includes records concerning additions and deletions of land and/or authorized Animal Unit Months (AUM) from grazing tenures. Records include tenure application forms, grazing plans, authorized livestock, correspondence, maps, records determining range boundaries and use, and information on range improvements and clearing.

Each file relates to a particular range tenure. Note that there may be additional individuals or companies who held the tenure who are not listed in the file title. Files are arranged alphabetically.

The ministries responsible for the Forest and Range Districts, and the years that they were responsible, are:

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands (1908-1945)
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests (1945-1962)
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
British Columbia. Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

This series is classified under ORCS number 15700-20 of the Ministry of Forests schedule (881261).

British Columbia. 100 Mile House Forest District

100 Mile House Forest District cutting permits and other timber tenure records

  • GR-3698
  • Series
  • 1973-2006

The series consists of cutting permits and other timber tenure records. These records were created from 1973-2006 by the 100 Mile House Forest District, a division of the Cariboo Forest Region. Files include cutting permits, forest licences, timber sale licences, timber sale harvesting licences, woodlot licences and licences to cut. Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures. The vast majority of records are cutting permits for forest licences. Licensees were required to apply for a forest licence and cutting permits in order to harvest timber.

The records may include legal documents, management plans, development plans, correspondence, forms, reports, maps, licences, permits, permit amendments and renewals, logging plans, cruise compilations, compilation summaries, reports, silviculture prescriptions, traverse cards, appraisals, harvesting reports and inspection forms, permit extension documentation, road permits, financial records, timber scales, timber mark designations, inspection records, photos, and stumpage fees.

The ministries responsible for creating these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1961-1975)
Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)
Ministry of Forests and Range (2005-2010)

The records were classified as 19500-45, 19540-25, 19620-25, 19720-25, 19720-45, 19720-50 and 19720-55 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. 100 Mile House Forest District

100 Mile House Forest District timber sale harvesting licences

  • GR-3650
  • Series
  • 1963-1990

The series consists of timber sale harvesting licences (TSHL) from the 100 Mile House Forest District. Timber sale harvesting licences were first introduced in 1967 and provided individuals and businesses with a permit to cut a volume of timber. This series documents the Government’s administration of timber licences during the period of 1963-1990.

Each file contains correspondence, reports and may also contain maps of the cutting area. The files also contain the TSHL application, cutting permit, timber value appraisals and reappraisals, stumpage rate notices, cutting plan maps, charts, clearance status inquiries, and inspection reports. The files are numbered with the licence number and, in many cases, a cutting permit number.

The records have been classified as 19590-45 in the Forest Operational Classification System (ORCS).

The ministries responsible for these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

British Columbia. 100 Mile House Forest District

British Columbia

Item consists of a map of British Columbia published in 1974. The map was drawn and produced by the Map Production Division, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Lands, Forests and Water Resources.The map shows cities and towns, boundaries and transportation routes.

British Columbia : physical / Dept. of Lands, Forest, and Water Resources, British Columbia ; compiled and produced by Geographic Division, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Dept. of Lands, Forests, and Water Resources

Shows relief and roads. Includes lists of largest lakes and islands, major river basins, highest mountains and important passes. Insets: Major physiographic subdivisions, Canadian Cordillera. Scale ca. 1:13 000 000 -- Generalized geology.

Campbell River Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4085
  • Series
  • 1955-2007

This series consists of timber tenures from 1955-2007 by the Campbell River Forest District, a division of the Vancouver Forest Region. The majority of the records are Tree Farm Licence (TFL) cutting permits.

TFLs are a type of timber tenure which grants a virtually exclusive right to harvest timber and manage forests in a specified area. They are issued for a term of 25 years, but can be replaced every 5-10 years. The records relate to TFL 2, TFL 7, TFL 19, TFL 22, TFL 25, TFL 36, TFL 39, TFL 45 and TFL 47. Over the years, TFL boundaries and rights holders may have changed. There are also two cutting permits for forest licence A19233.

Other types of timber tenures in this series include: replaceable forest licences, licences to cut, timber licences, replaceable timber sale licences, non-replaceable timber sale licences, special use permits, and woodlot licences.

Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures. The files may consist of applications, ministry approvals, copies of the permit or licence, revisions, correspondence, legal documents, annual reports, operations information, development plans, charts, procedures, audits, reviews, maps, photos and silviculture records.

The ministries responsible for creating these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Dept. of Lands and Forests (1955-1962)
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water (1962-1975)
Dept. of Forests (1975-1976 )
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

The records were classified as 19500-45, 19500-60, 19540-25, 19570-25, 19580-45, 19600-20, 19600-25, 19600-30, 19600-45, 19600-55, 19600-60, 19620-25, 19700-45, 19710-20, 19720-20,19720-25 and 19720-45 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Campbell River Forest District

Cariboo Forest Region range management records

  • GR-4027
  • Series
  • 1954-2004

This series consists of range management records from the Cariboo Forest Region and its predecessors, 1954-2004. Records currently relate to the following Forest Districts within the region: Williams Lake and Horsefly. In 2003 these two Forest Districts were amalgamated to form the Central Cariboo Forest District.

Records relate to the administration of Grazing Licences and Grazing Permits as defined under the Range Act, and Grazing Leases as defined under the Land Act, including issuance, amendments, transfers, billing, monitoring, policy administration, and plans specific to tenures, such as Grazing System Plans. Also includes records concerning additions and deletions of land and/or authorized Animal Unit Months (AUM) from grazing tenures. Records include tenure application forms, grazing plans, authorized livestock, correspondence, maps, records determining range boundaries and use, and information on range improvements and clearing.

Each file relates to a particular range tenure. Note that there may be additional individuals or companies who held the tenure who are not listed in the file title. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Ministries responsible for the creation of this series, and their dates of the responsibility, are:
Dept. of Lands and Forests 1945-1962
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources 1962-1975
Dept. of Forests 1975-1976
Ministry of Forests 1976-1986
Ministry of Forests and Lands 1986-1988
Ministry of Forests 1988-2005

Classified as 15700-50 in the Forests Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Cariboo Forest Region

Cariboo Forest Region silviculture records

  • GR-3920
  • Series
  • 1950-2005

This series consists of silviculture records from the Cariboo Forest Region and its predecessors, 1950-2005. The region has included a variety of different forest districts over time. Records may regard the following Forest Districts: Williams Lake, Horsefly, Chilcotin, Likely, Cariboo and 100 Mile House. Note that the names and boundaries of districts and regions varied over the years.

The Ministry of Forests defines silviculture as “the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests and woodlands to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society on a sustainable basis.”

Most files consist of silviculture opening records which document the historical silviculture treatment work that has been undertaken on specific areas of land that are referred to as openings. These files regard changes in the forest cover, changes in prescriptions, cut boundaries, changes in site prescriptions and records involving impacts on silvicultural treatments. Files may contain a wide variety of record formats including textual records, photographs and maps. The textual records include computer printouts, photocopies, cards, reports and correspondence.

Most files are quite small. They usually consist of a map of the area and a computer printout titled the History of Crop Establishment and Tending which provides a history of use and information regarding prescriptions, site preparations, reforestation and stand tending.

There are also larger files that contain a variety of other documents. These include prescription documents, which provide the management plan for the area; stand tending cards and reports, which show completed forest treatments; traverse sheets, which provide location information; pruning examination cards and printouts; planting reports; final harvesting reports; site plans; site preparation reports; and logging inspection reports.

Opening files are arranged in several numerically ordered groups by a classification number. The first six digits (ex. 93A 001) corresponds with the National Topographic System location codes and the last three digits consist of a sequential number applied to each file. File titles may also include the related forest tenure number or other information for that parcel of land.

Silviculture audit and assessment files regard the audits and assessments made by the Ministry to ensure silviculture is carried out in accordance with the regulations and approved silviculture prescriptions as detailed in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act. Audits include records concerning a formal examination of the approved silviculture prescription document and the related area to evaluate whether or not there has been compliance with the regulations, the silviculture prescriptions are suitable to attain the objective stated therein, and there is acceptable progress towards achievement of silviculture objectives stated in the approved silviculture prescription. Silviculture prescription audits are carried out on areas under both major licences and areas under the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) with approved silviculture prescriptions. Types of audits and assessments included are pre-approval assessments and post-approval audits. Records can include correspondence, inspection forms, reports, and compliance reports for soil conservation, regeneration, and free growing obligations.

The series also includes: a procedure file on nursery stock storage and transport; one woodlot licence file; one file on protected areas strategy old growth considerations; and four files on local resource planning including correspondence, meeting minutes and final copies of coordinated access plans for Bonaparte, Kluskus, Spruce Lake and Chilko Lake.

Ministries responsible for the creation of this series, and their dates of the responsibility, are:

Dept. of Lands and Forests 1945-1962
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources 1962-1975
Dept. of Forests 1975-1976
Ministry of Forests 1976-1986
Ministry of Forests and Lands 1986-1988
Ministry of Forests 1988-2005

Classified as 18750-20, 18765-20, 18390-02 and 12605-20 in the Forests Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Cariboo Forest Region

Ceremony for the dedication of the site of British Columbia's Centennial survey monument : programme

  • GR-2052
  • Series
  • Jun. 1967

The series consists of a copy of the program for the dedication ceremony of the site of British Columbia's Centennial Survey Monument which took place at the new Museum and Archives precinct at the corner of Government and Belleville Streets in Victoria on Wednesday June 21, 1967.

The program includes a description of the ceremony, speeches, press release, photocopies of relevant newspaper articles, photocopy of invitation and guest list and six black and white photographs of the ceremony including the unveiling of the monument and an aerial view of the site.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources

Committee records relating to the Peace River and Mackenzie River basins

  • GR-1149
  • Series
  • 1972-1975

The series contains records relating to the Peace River and Mackenzie River basins, from correspondence file 0309728. It consists of a preliminary report on the Peace River basin flood of 1972 by the Inland Waters Branch of Environment Canada and records of meetings of the Mackenzie Basin Intergovernmental Liaison Committee.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources

Correspondence and other material

  • GR-1227
  • Series
  • 1972-1976

This series contains files from the Public Information and Education Division. The records consist of correspondence of the Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources on controversial matters including: multiple use in the Nitinat Triangle (1972) and Fry Creek (1972-1973) areas, and the Eden Fire (1973-1975). This series also contains the report of the Committee for Ranger District Organization (1976) which was appointed as a result of the Eden Fire controversy.

British Columbia. Forest Service. Public Information and Education Division

Correspondence index to lands files

  • GR-0993
  • Series
  • 1980

The series consists of indexes to correspondence files relating to the administration of Crown lands and natural resources. The records were created in 1980 from a computer print-out of various departmental indexes and includes references to files created by various branches of the Dept. of Lands and Works (1872-1908), the Dept. of Lands (1908-1945), the Dept. of Lands and Forests (1945-1962), the Dept. of Lands, Forest and Water Resources (1962-1975) and the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing. It provides access to active, microfilmed and obsolete O series files and pre-1918 files.

The records consist of one subject index and two lists which can be used to identify and locate Lands Correspondence files. They are not comprehensive, as they do not cover all the correspondence files created between 1871 and 1986.

The index and lists may be used to locate a file number for a subject area of interest, or to determine the subject of a file when only the number of the file is known.

Note that a listing in these documents does not necessarily mean that the file is held at the BC Archives. Many active files remain with the Crown Land Registry.

British Columbia. Surveys and Land Records Branch

Crown Lands records

  • GR-1088
  • Series
  • 1877-1980

This series includes correspondence files relating to the administration, management, conservation and development of Crown lands and natural resources. Series 1: early chronological series (files created, 1877-1911). Series 2: 1912 series (files created, 1912-1917). Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, plans, 1877-1980.

British Columbia. Surveys and Land Records Branch

Department of Environment executive records

  • GR-4198
  • Series
  • 1958-1981 (predominantly 1970-1977)

This series consists of records created by the Ministry of the Environment, the Department of Environment and their predecessors departments, such as the Department of Lands, Forests and Water Resources. The majority of the records were created from 1970-1977.

Records relate to department administration, organization charts, reorganization, pollution control, water resources services and the agricultural land reserve.

The records relate to all functions of the Department of Environment. This includes, but is not limited to, the creation and management of the Department of the Environment; managing protected areas; hunting; trapping and traplines; guide outfitters; fishing; Indigenous hunting and land rights; wildlife management, including wolf control; game farming; fish farms and aquaculture; water rights and management; Ministry centralization and reorganization; the establishment of the Environmental Lab; conservation and habitat management; water rights and water licences; flood prevention and mitigation; the creation and management of dams and dykes; land use; pollution, including air, chemical, solid waste and sewage; waste management, including landfills and sewage systems; coal mining; pesticides and herbicides; conservation officers, including enforcement and prosecutions; the drafting of legislation and orders-in-council; flood claims, control and prevention; and surveys and mapping.

Records include correspondence from the public and within government, briefing notes, meeting minutes, minister's speeches, Cabinet submissions, Treasury Board submissions, reports, agreements, legislation, agreements, policies, procedures, maps and photos.

The records were created by the following executive:

Ray Gillis Williston, Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources, 1962-1972
Robert Arthur Williams, Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources, 1972-1975
James Arthur Nielson, Minister of Environment, 1975-1978
Kenneth Rafe Mair, Minister, 1978-1979
Charles Stephen Rogers, Minister, 1979-1983

Ben E Marr, Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Water Resources, 1973-1975
Ben E Marr, Deputy Minister, 1974-1987
Allan Murray, ADM Conservation, 1978-1979
V Raudsepp, DM, Water Resources, 1970-1973
GE Simmons, ADM, Water Resources, 1975
GE Simmons, ADM, Water and Air, 1976
GE Simmons, ADM, Environmental and Engineering, 1977-1978
GE Simmons, ADM, Environmental Management, 1979-1981
WN Venables, ADM Environmental Protection, 1979
Ed H Vernon, ADM, Conservation, 1974-1978

British Columbia. Dept. of Environment

Forest District annual reports

  • GR-4084
  • Series
  • 1964-1979

This series consists of annual reports created by several Forest Districts and Regions of the Ministry of Forests and its predecessors from 1975-1979. Records are included from the following Forest Regions and Districts: Cariboo, Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, Prince Rupert, and Vancouver.

The records summarize the annual work conducted by each branch of the office. Subjects include: fire preparedness, protection, pest management, range use and administration, reforestation, silviculture, management of Crown land, valuation, research projects, recreation resources, natural resource management, engineering, staff training and timber tenures. Some reports include maps, charts and statistics. There is also a 1964 public working circles procedure manual.

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)

Forest licence cutting permits from the Dawson Creek Forest District

  • GR-3683
  • Series
  • 1971-1992

The series consists of cutting permits for forest licences and timber sale harvesting licences. The records were created by both the Chetwynd Field Office and the Dawson Creek Forest District. These offices were part of the Prince George Forest Region. Each office maintained their own files and, in most cases, both files have been retained.

The ministry created multiple files for administering the permit process. These include a central file as well as individual files for each cut block. Since this series also contains files from two offices, there are often duplicate central and block files for each permit. Both are numbered identically but they are differentiated by the acronyms CFO for the Chetwynd office and DDC for the Dawson Creek office.

All files contain a variety of correspondence, reports, maps, and forms. The central file is split into two parts. The first part contains a copy of the cutting permit, final harvesting reports, permit extension documentation, and stumpage fees. The second part contains preliminary inspections by Forest Service staff, appraisal analysis documentation and correspondence.

The ministries responsible for creating these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1988-1992)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
British Columbia. Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1971-1975)

The records were classified as 19500-45 in the Forest Operational Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources

Forest Service lookout photographs

  • GR-3263
  • Series
  • 1936-1983

The series consists of ca. 4300 negatives and ca. 5000 photographic prints taken from forest lookouts between 1936 and 1993. Falling under the function of forest protection, "lookout photography" or "panoramic lookout photography" was first initiated in B.C. in 1936. It involved taking a set of eight large-format film images at 263 fire lookout sites.

The negatives were used to create 20 x 32 cm (7½ x 12¾" black and white photo prints, and a grid was photographically superimposed on each print, indicating the compass bearing from 0 to 360 degrees and vertical angle from +10 to -15 degrees from the horizontal. These prints were bound into book form, and kept on hand in the lookout and at the Ranger Station to aid in communicating the details of fire locations using visual references. They were also used to orient the fire finder in the lookout - a rotatable sighting device mounted over a map located in the centre of the building. The books list the date of the images and the location. Some books also contain notations on the photos. The series also contains 2 boxes of photographic proofs which contain information about the date and time that the image was taken and the weather conditions at that time.

In the photographing process, bearings were established with the use of a surveyor's transit and level, and an interchangeable camera. With the transit, the photographer determined the precise known bearing of a distant reference object (usually a mountain peak or another lookout, sometimes a topographic survey cairn). By lifting the transit off the mount and replacing it with the camera, they could then take their eight photographs at 45-degree horizontal intervals. Photographs from the lookout were taken in this order: shot #1, North; shot #2, 45 degrees; shot #3, East; shot #4, 135 degrees; shot #5, South; shot #6, 225 degrees; shot #7, West; shot #8, 315 degrees. A suitable camera was initially borrowed from another agency until one specially built by the National Research Council in Ottawa was obtained in the summer of 1945. One report from the late 1940s states that the eight views each included a horizontal angle of 50 degrees, so that the full panorama was completed with an overlap of 5 degrees per photograph. Photos were taken on infrared film to maximize haze penetration, and a duplicate set of negatives were taken with panchromatic.

Most lookouts were photographed at least once; some were photographed two or three times. This “rephotography” was deemed necessary when there were appreciable changes, over time, in a view from a lookout. Changes in view were caused by various factors: elimination of vegetative cover due to wildfires or logging; the erecting, rebuilding or relocation of a tower; construction of dams; or the change in view caused by tree clearing at the mountain summit. Most lookouts were sites that had established structures; however, some were undeveloped sites.

The photography was sometimes carried out by a two-man crew consisting of UBC forestry students. In time, "visibility mapping" to evaluate potential new lookout sites was combined with lookout photography at existing sites; in some years a two-man crew would do both. Access to lookout sites by helicopter was used by 1960. The same crews sometimes also took photographs on behalf of the National Parks Service for parks lookouts located in B.C. For some years there was limited or no field work undertaken in either lookout photography or visibility mapping. The last photos were taken by professional surveyors on a contract basis as a pilot project.

The majority of the lookout structures were built by the B.C. Forest Service; however, several had been built by the federal government to fulfill their obligation to protect timber from wildfire within the Railway Belt. In 1930 the Railway Belt and its lookout structures were turned over to the Province of B.C.

The number of lookouts that were staffed declined in the late 1970s and early 1980s as other means of fire detection became more efficient, notably, aircraft patrols and public reporting. In addition, the electronic lightning location system that began in 1980 indicated where lightning activity had occurred, and computer models then predicted the likely location and number of new lighting-caused and people-caused fires. The decline in fire lookouts was due to technological changes, and cost-benefit analyses probably showed that some lookouts were no longer good investments. Lookout photography was given up as lookouts declined in value.

The photographs are a resource for studying landscape change. Old harvesting, regeneration, and the impacts of wildfire and urban expansion may be observed in many of the photograph sets.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

Forest Surveys and Inventory Division operational records

  • GR-0944
  • Series
  • 1942-1981

This series consists of the operational records of the Forest Surveys and Inventory Division. Records include procedures, operations, policy, and field manuals relating to forest management, forest protection, forest surveys and inventory, grazing and range administration, engineering, and accounting, 1942-1981; Civil Service Commission descriptions for positions in the B.C. Forest Service, 1950-1970; and letters of instruction and circular letters to Forest Officers, and miscellaneous correspondence, 1943-1977. There is also a report of forest inventory work from 1955 with maps.

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)

Fort St. James Forest District records

  • GR-4134
  • Series
  • 1960-2007

This series consists of records created by the Fort St. James Forest District from 1960-2007. The majority of records are related to timber tenures such as forest licences, timber sale licences, timber sale harvesting licences, woodlot licences, cutting permits, free use permits, burning permits, special use permits, and tree farm licences. Licensees were required to apply for a forest licence or similar tenure and cutting permits in order to harvest timber. Records may regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures.

The files may consist of records such as applications, ministry approvals, copies of the permit or licence, revisions, correspondence, legal documents, annual reports, operations information, development plans, charts, procedures, audits, reviews, photos, development plans, timber cruise compilations, stumpage rates, appraisals, cruise cards, survey notes, photos, and maps.

Other records unrelated to timber tenures include road permits, hay cutting permits, range use permits, fire prevention and control records, and tree planting.

The ministries responsible for creating these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:

Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water (1962-1975)
Dept. of Forests (1975-1976 )
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

The records were classified as 19500-45, 19600-45, 19710-20, 19720-20, 19720-25, 19720-50, 19720-55
in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Fort St. James Forest District

Government agency land records

  • GR-1383
  • Series
  • 1910-1973

This series contains land administration records of the Government Agent and District Land Commissioner for the Cariboo Land District. Records consists of selected purchase, Crown grant, and lease files.

British Columbia. Government Agent (Williams Lake)

Kamloops District grazing permits

  • GR-3756
  • Series
  • 1931-1982

Series consists of grazing permits from the Kamloops and Vernon Grazing District. The records were created in accordance with the 1919 Grazing Act (SBC 1919, c. 30) and subsequent legislation. The Ministry of Forests, and its predecessors, was responsible for managing this program. The records document activities in the Kamloops Region which includes areas such as Vernon.

The government approved permits annually for the use of the land. The permit set out the name of the applicant, the area, and the number of cattle/sheep/horses that would be grazing on the land.

Series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual or business that holds the permit and licence. The records consist primarily of a copy of the application for a grazing permit, the approved permit, correspondence among staff and the applicant as well as sketches of the geographic area. Some files also contain copies of inspection forms completed by ministry staff.

Ministries responsible for these records are:

Dept. of Lands 1908-1945
Dept. of Lands and Forests 1945- 1962
Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources 1962-1975
Dept. of Forests 1975-1976
Ministry of Forests 1976-1986

Records were classified as 15700-20 in the Forests Operational Records Classification System.

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

Kamloops Forest Region operational records

  • GR-1452
  • Series
  • 1951-1983

This series contains operational records of the Kamloops Forest Region and its predecessor, the Kamloops Forest District from 1951-1983. The Kamloops Forest Region has included a variety of different Ranger Districts or smaller Forest Districts over time. The records in this series relate to several, including the Chase, Barriere, Clearwater and Kamloops Ranger Districts. Note that the names and boundaries of districts and regions varied over the years.

The records are arranged according to the original filing number used at the Kamloops office. Records relate to grazing range management, timber management, and other administrative records of the office. This includes grazing permits; timber sale and harvesting licences; tree farm licences; firewood permits; road permits; plantations; reforestation; scaling and royalty records; and annual work charts.

This series also includes the accounts of the Kamloops Forest District, a subdivision of the Kamloops Forest Region, successor to Ranger Districts 3 (Barriere), 4 (Kamloops), 16 (Ashcroft) and 22 (Kamloops North) of the former Kamloops Forest District, and a guide to the Kamloops Regional 0 series.

The ministries responsible for Forest and Range Districts, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Department of Lands and Forests (1945-1962)
Department of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
Department of Forests (1975-1976)
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

Kamloops Government Agent land records

  • GR-0522
  • Series
  • 1877-1977

The series consists of the business records, 1877-1977, of the office of the Kamloops Government Agent, including the records of several additional positions usually held by the same individual: Gold Commissioner, Mining Recorder, and Land Commissioner for the Kamloops Land District. The series also includes records of the Canadian Department of the Interior; most created and received by the Dominion Lands Agent at Kamloops as part of the administration of the Railway Belt.

Record types and subject matter include, but are not limited to the following: land alienation through pre-emption or purchase from the provincial government and homesteading or purchase from the federal government; a variety of leases of Crown land; other more general types of records; and records regarding Indigenous peoples and Indian Reserves.

Records related to land alienation include: applications for pre-emption records; land classification reports; forms completed by land inspectors of the Department of Lands Inspection Branch; declarations of occupation and permanent improvement on pre-emption claims; applications for homestead entry, cancellation, and abandonment; homestead Inspector’s reports; affidavits in support of an Application for Entry for a homestead, pre-emption or purchased homestead; land sales records including applications to purchase and certificates of purchase.

Records related to a variety of leases and other uses of Crown lands include: grazing leases; foreshore leases; dredging leases; indentures to reassign leases; special use permits; timber permits; water records including conditional water licenses, and permanent water licenses; applications for irrigation schemes; petroleum and natural gas leases; quarry leases; bar leases; coal leases; mining leases regarding surface and subsurface rights; applications for lease of crown-granted mineral claims; applications for placer leases under the Placer-Mining Act; and the lapse of a lease or forfeiture of a mineral claim to the Crown.

Other more general types of records include: correspondence regarding Crown grants; inquiries about land availability; surveyor’s reports; preliminary plans and correspondence for the surveys of townships; Soldier Settlement Board records including forms, correspondence and records of soldier land grants; attestation papers and discharge certificates; naturalization papers; personal correspondence; correspondence files on specific topics such as hay permit regulations or precipitation measurements; records regarding taxes; and business records of the office, including inter-department correspondence, circulars, and memorandum related to matters of land administration.

Files also exist for specific Indian Reserves, and can include correspondence; water records; surveys; and inspection reports created in the process of allotting new, and canceling existing Indian Reserves. Some files document instances of overlapping land use and conflict between settlers and Indigenous peoples on specific parcels of land.

Files are generally either correspondence files on a particular subject, or a variety of records related to a particular piece of land. Many files cover a wide time period and may be associated with multiple individuals or companies as land rights were often transferred to others or cancelled and reapplied for. Only the name of the first and last individual listed on the file is included in the file list. This means there may be additional names associated with files not included on the file list. The file list may also only include part of the legal description of land in cases where the description was exceptionally long, or included many different pieces of land. Single individuals may also have multiple files for each piece of land they are associated with.

Cartographic materials, consisting of blueprints and hand-drawn maps or plans, indicating the parcels of land relevant to the file, are commonly found throughout the records.

No file list or indexes were transferred with these records from the Kamloops Government Agent. Most files only included numbers with no clear names, so titles were created by the archives based on the contents of the files or by transcribing information on relevant file backs.

A fire on 17 September 1893 at the Dominion Lands Office in Kamloops destroyed some files. The contents for these files are marked [empty]. Files marked as [file back only] were likely destroyed in the fire, but then had their titles and some additional information transcribed by Lands employees onto file backs from letter books or other surviving records which were not transferred with these records.

British Columbia. Government Agent (Kamloops)

Libby pondage and Mica pondage waterways improvement project

  • GR-4182
  • Series
  • 1967 - 1970

The series consists of records created by the British Columbia Forest Service Engineering Services Division between 1967 and 1970 as part of the Mica Pondage Waterways Improvement Project and Libby Pondage Waterways Improvement Project. These projects involved moving infrastructure and clearing land (mostly timber) in preparation for the flooding of these lands by the Mica dam and Libby dam (forming Kinbasket Lake and Lake Koocanusa respectively).

The series consists of maps and photographs with an index describing each photograph. Maps are annotated, often with reference to the photographs in this series. They document where work took place, where work camps were located, where settlements were located, and how the landscape appeared before the areas were flooded. They also detail some of the preparatory work for the reservoirs, along with the zones that were anticipated to be flooded. Photographs correspond with photographs already in the BC Archives Forest Service Photographs, GR-3426.

Files included in this series:
1 Mica pondage waterways improvement project maps 1970
2 Mica pondage photographs 69 1 1969
3 Mica pondage photographs 69 2 1969
4 Mica pondage photographs 69 3 1969
5 Mica pondage photographs 70 1970
6 Libby pondage map 1968
7 Libby pondage photographs 1 1968-1970
8 Libby pondage photographs 2 1968-1970
9 Mica and Libby pondage photograph index July 1969
10 Kamloops Lake and Bonaparte River maps 1967-1968

British Columbia. Forest Service. Engineering Services Division

Mackenzie Forest District range management records

  • GR-4102
  • Series
  • 1967-2009

This series consists of range management records from the McKenzie Forest District for the years 1967-2009. This district was part of the Prince George Forest Region (1978-2003) and the Northern Interior Forest Region (2003-2010). Note that the names and boundaries of districts and regions varied over the years.

Records relate to the administration of Grazing Licences and Grazing Permits as defined under the Range Act, and Grazing Leases as defined under the Land Act. This includes their issuance, amendment, transfer, billing, monitoring, policy, and administration. This may include records concerning additions and deletions of land and/or authorized Animal Unit Months (AUM) from grazing tenures. There are also a few range tenure appeal files.

Each grazing permit and licence file relates to a particular range tenure. Note that there may be additional individuals or companies who held the tenure over time which are not listed in the file title.

Records in this series include tenure application forms, grazing plans, range use plans, correspondence, maps, surveys, reports, records determining range boundaries and use, and information on range improvements such as range seeding and clearing. There is also a list of range tenures for the entire district.

The ministries responsible for the Forest and Range Districts, and the years that they were responsible, are:
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
British Columbia. Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests and Range (2005-2010)

This series is classified under ORCS number 15420-08 and 15700-20 of the Ministry of Forests schedule (881261).

British Columbia. Mackenzie Forest District

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