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The series consists of records relating to the pre-emption, sale, and registration of land in New Westminster, Sayward, and Coast (Range 1-5) Land Districts, created by the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works and Vancouver District Land Commissioners, pursuant to the Land Act.

The records include pre-emption applications, 1887-1911 (11 vols.); certificates of pre-emption, 1884-1938 (57 vols.); certificates of purchase, 1874-1944 (95 vols.); registers of sales of unsurveyed lands, 1884-1911 (4 vols.); lot register, City of Vancouver, 1886-1892 (3 vols.) and a register of lot owners, Town of Granville, 1874-1884.

The series consists of 45 volumes of prospecting licence stubs for coal, petroleum, and natural gas created by the Dept. of Mines, and its predecessor the Bureau of Mines between 1883 and 1946. The licence stubs are arranged in numerical order and include coal prospecting licenses 1-404, coal and petroleum prospecting licenses 405-9500 and coal, petroleum and natural gas prospecting licenses 9501-13000.

The series consists of files created by Judge William Evans dealing with disposal of crown lands to members of the Sons of Freedom sect of Doukhobors. The records cover the period 1959 to 1975 and contain correspondence, maps, registers, and accounting material. The maps were transferred to the Archives Map Division (see photocopy of map accession slips attached to print finding aid).

The series consists of records created by the Department of Lands in 1930. It contains a volume of Coast Land Districts, Range 4 and Range 5 appraisal reports of reverted government lands within Tps. 2-4, Range 4 and Tps. 10-13, 19,20, Range 5. The reports are arranged numerically within each land district. Information may include assessment district, land registry office, legal description, date of forfeiture, plan number, acreage, suitability, improvements, soil, water supply, irrigation or dyking, accessibility, nearest settlement or Post Office, nearest school, topography, and assessed and appraised value. The report usually includes a coloured sketch map of the property. The two sections are indexed by report numbers to the legal land description.

Kootenay land district. Certificates of Improvement, numbers 1-95, with duplicate numbers 17, 36, 75, 77-79, at the front, for the West Kootenay District showing statement of, and witnesses to, the required improvements being completed, prior to the issuance of a Crown Grant. Information includes the names of the occupier and the witnesses, the number of the pre-emption claim, legal description and geographical location of the land, and the dates of the pre-emption claim and the completion of Improvements. An alphabetical index is included in this volume.

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.

Series consists of silviculture opening records created by the South Vancouver Island district and its predecessor the Port Alberni Forest district from 1943-2008. The ministry 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.” These files document the historical silviculture treatment work that has been undertaken on specific areas of land that are referred to as openings.

The 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. Pre-1980 documents are usually photocopies but there are also many original documents from those years.

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. These computer printouts are dated from 1986 or 1990. They provide a history of crop establishment and tending and provide 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 (that show what forest treatments were taken), traverse sheets (that provide location information), pruning examination cards and printouts, planting reports, final harvesting reports, site preparation reports. Pre-1970 documents usually consist of copies of logging inspection reports.

The files are arranged numerically by a classification number. The first part of that number corresponds with the National Topographic System location codes and the second part of the number consists of a sequential number applied to each file.

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

Dept. of Lands 1943-1945
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
Ministry of Forests and Lands 1986-1988
Ministry of Forests 1988-2005
Ministry of Forests and Range 2005-2010

Classified as 18750-20 in the Forests Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

Correspondence relating to an application for settlers' free use permit for cutting cordwood in the vicinity of Greenwood (0.2 cm). From file 031642.

This series contains reports by the Assistant Timber Inspector at Nelson on timber cut and royalties payable by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Doukhobor Society.

Series consists of timber sale licence files from the Kamloops Forest District. These licences provide a licensee with the right to harvest timber in a specified area.

Each file documents the issuance, administration and cancellation of timber licences as per the Forest Act. The majority of the files in this series date from 1970-1989 although there are also some files that date back to 1942. The records are from the Kamloops Forest region.

The files consist primarily of copies of the licence, applications, maps, status clearance forms, harvesting inspection reports, renewal forms, deletion notices, correspondence and reports. There are also some cash timber licences in this series (boxes 168-172) that contain cash timber licence permits.

The ministry assigned A numbers to the files which have been assigned sequentially. There are many gaps in the numbering since the central ministry office and other forest regions also used the same numbering system and the ministry only transferred cancelled licence files to the archives. There are also some files that have been classified with an “LKS” or “X” number.

The majority of the files contain two parts. These were attached to both sides of the file folder are front to front. One part consists of a copy of the licence and other legal documents whereas the second consists of related correspondence, forms and reports.

The records were created by the Kamloops Forests District as part of the following ministries:

1942-1945 Dept. of Lands
1945-1962 Dept. of Lands and Forests
1962-1975 Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
1975-1976 Dept. of Forests
1976-1986 Ministry of Forests
1986-1988 Ministry of Forests and Lands
1988-1989 Ministry of Forests

The records have been classified as 19620-25 in the Forest ORCS. The ministry also assigned a classification number of 850-5 to many of the files.

Series consists of Railway Belt timber berth administration files from the Kamloops Forest District. Timber berths were an area based system of timber tenure established by the Dominion (Federal) Government in 1872.

Under the British Columbia Terms of Union that were passed in 1871, the BC Government agreed to convey to the Dominion Government “public lands along the line of railway throughout its entire length in British Columbia, not to exceed, however, twenty (20) miles on each side of said line.” This land was used to provide aid in the construction of the CPR Railway.

The Dominion Government retained responsibility for the Railway Belt lands until 1930 and managed land use until that time. In 1930, they transferred responsibility for the Railway Belt lands to the Province of BC. BC managed existing land tenures following the transfer including the management of timber berths. These files document the period of time after 1930.

The series is arranged by the timber berth number. The number is sequential and runs from 233 to 645 with major gaps. Files contain correspondence, licence to cut timber forms, plans, logging inspection reports, final harvesting inspection and scale and royalty accounts.

The records were created by the Kamloops Forests District as part of the following ministries:
1930-1945 Dept. of Lands
1945-1962 Dept. of Lands and Forests
1962-1975 Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
1975-1976 Dept. of Forests
1976-1983 Ministry of Forests

The records have been classified as 10000-60 in the Forest ORCS.

This series consists of records of the Assistant Commissioner of Lands, Similkameen Division, Yale District, 1905-1920. Records include two volumes of declarations for Certificates of Improvement, nos. 1-182 and 183-561. The declarations give a description of improvements made on preempted lands. Some certificates are from Osoyoos Division, Yale District. There is an index at the back of each volume. Some records may relate to Vernon and Fairview as well.

This series contains records of the Government Agent from Cumberland relating to coal and petroleum prospecting licences for lands covered by water opposite the foreshore of Denman Island, Comox harbour, and for other lands in the Sayward and Coast Land Districts. The records consist of correspondence, notices, and plans. These records were filed in a transfer case with the Dept. of Lands on which was noted "Documents from Government Agent, Cumberland, December 18, 1939, to be destroyed under Public Documents Disposal Act. To be retained in this box pending decision of Deputy Minister of Lands."

This series contains letterpress reference books of surveyed land, usually including name of land holder and lot number. The entries are arranged by land district for each reporting date. These lists were published later as notices in the British Columbia Gazette. These books were used by the Dept. of Lands to record file numbers and other information concerning the process.

This series contains diaries (1912-1914; 3 vols.), line index books, (4 cols.), and surveyors' field books (11 vols.) from the Strathcona Park Survey.

Records relating to surveys and surveyors field books. Consists of a register of surveyors' field books on Vancouver Island, especially Victoria district; an alphabetical street index to surveyors' field books for the City of Victoria, and miscellaneous correspondence pertaining to surveys. Includes record of surveys done since 1858.

This series consists of Provincial Forest information files created by the Ministry of Forests and its predecessors from 1932-1983. The records consists of tables recording the various tenures, permits and other forms of land use in Provincial Forests. These include: special use permits, logging road right of ways, reserves, map notations, land withdrawals for public use (parks, reserves, archaeological sites), and land withdrawals for other uses (personal, agricultural, commercial, industrial use).

The series also includes a file on stumpage rates paid, including statistical and financial information related to timber harvesting.

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.

This series consists of the report of the Committee of Investigation on Garibaldi Park and contiguous area for the Honourable the Minister of Lands (79 pp.), appendix (24 pp.), maps and photographs, 1932-1934.

This series consists of range management records created by the Quesnel Forest district in the Cariboo Forest Region, and its predecessors, from 1927-2002. This series may contain records created by the Prince George (also known as Fort George), Kamloops, Cariboo and Williams Lake Forest Districts and/or Grazing Districts. Note that the names and boundaries of districts and regions varied over the years. All files were managed by the Quesnel Forest District when the files were closed in or before 2006.

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.

The series also includes individual range unit files which relate to the management of larger range units. These are areas of range land that may be shared by multiple tenure holders. This includes operational records such as range unit plans, inspections covering more than one range tenure, and general information concerning the history of the management of specific range units.

Records in this series include tenure application forms, grazing plans, range use plans, correspondence, maps, photos, surveys, reports, records determining range boundaries and use, and information on range improvements and clearing. Improvements can include infrastructure such as fences, gates and improving access to water sources for livestock.

Each 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. Files within each box are arranged alphabetically by file title.

The ministries responsible for the Forest and Range Districts, and the years that they were responsible, 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)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

This series is classified under ORCS number 15700-20 and 15720-20 of the Ministry of Forests schedule (881261).

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).

This series consists of wildfire mapping records including fire atlas maps and fire reports from the Prince Rupert Forest District. The records date from 1921-1980. Collectively these records provide a comprehensive image of the amount and extent of forest fires in the area.

The Prince Rupert Forest District was divided into smaller Ranger Districts. These Ranger Districts changed over the years, but included: Burns Lake, Hazleton, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Kitwanga, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), Ocean Falls, Francois Lake, Smithers, Telkwa, Houston, Pendleton Bay, Kitimat, Lower Post, Topley, Bella Coola, Southbank, Telegraph Creek and Atlin.

Annual fire reports are oversized handwritten tables that provide detailed information on individual fires for the years 1921-1967. The tables list: name of the fire; name of officer in charge; date; district fire number; fire origin; cost of fighting and source of funds; area burned; total area of damage done; amount of merchantable and unmerchantable timber burned; amount of range land burned; amount of property or other damage caused; and the cause of the fire. Possible causes include lightening, recreational activities, railroad clearing, smokers, brush or range burning, construction, industrial activities, incendiaries, miscellaneous known causes and unknown causes. The pages are arranged by year, with one page used per Ranger District. Each year includes a summary sheet with the totals for all Ranger Districts.

Fire atlas maps and overlays show the location and type of fires, as well as the extent of some burned areas. The majority of the maps are forest cover maps which have been annotated or had overlays added with this additional information. Many of the maps have been cut to fit in the bound volume they were originally stored in. This can make it difficult to determine the precise year the maps were created and annotated.

The series also includes one scrapbook of newspaper clippings related to forest fires, fire protection and firefighting for the years 1988-1991. This item was created by the successor of the Prince Rupert Forest District, the Prince Rupert Forest Region.

Ministries responsible for the creation of this series, and their dates of the responsibility, 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
Ministry of Forests and Lands 1986-1988
Ministry of Forests 1988-2005

This series contains the operational records of the Kamloops Forest District relating to range and timber management. The records include correspondence files pertaining to improvements, pest control, public sustained-yield units, timber berths, tree farm licences, farm woodlots and timber marks. Some records were inherited from Cariboo, Vernon and Southern Interior Forest Districts, and from the Canadian Forestry Service during its administration by the Railway Belt.

The series consists of subject files from the Port Alberni Forest District. These files were created as part of the regular activities of the district office and include both operational and administrative files. The majority of files relate to tree farm licences (TFL) although there are also a few files that relate to log salvage, Cascara bark use, and water licences.

The series contains correspondence, circulars, reports, maps and ledger sheets. The files are arranged by their classification number. The files classified as 870-3 relate to tree farm licences. These consist of the vast majority of files in this series. The 860 files consist of permit and licence applications.

The majority of the TFL files relate to the administration of tree farm licences 20 and 21 which are located in the Clayoquot area of BC. The correspondence with the licensee deals with administration and management of the TFL. This includes issues with the licence, amendments to the licence, the stumpage rates, amendments to the licence, future cutting plans, includes copies of the licence and subsequent amendments. Some of the material in the files duplicate the material in the main TFL series of GR-3659.

There is information relating to stumpage rates. There are many letters from the ministry to licensees about rates. The series also contains ledgers that were used to calculate the stumpage fees. The administration and policy files contain documentation about how the ledgers functioned.

The ministries that were responsible for these records are:
1956-1962 Dept. of Lands and Forests
1962-1975 Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
1975-1976 Dept. of Forests
1976-1981 Ministry of Forests

The series contains a collection of maps used as reference in office of the Integrated Land Management Bureau and its predecessors from various ministries responsible for lands. These particular maps were transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Lower Mainland office in Surrey, B.C. The maps were produced by the surveys and mapping branch of the Ministry or its predecessors and cover a variety of areas in British Columbia.
The maps detail many features including roads, trails, railways, powerlines, reserved lands, surveyed lands, boundaries, campgrounds, mines, historic monuments, lighthouses, survey control stations, Forest Service lookouts, communications towers, customs offices, airports and airstrips, heliports, seaplane landings, buildings, elevations, dykes, contour swamp/marsh, intermittent lake/seasonal inundation, mud, sand, gravel, glaciers and icefields. Some maps also detail telephone lines, wells, falls, rapids, dams, cliffs, mile posts, orchards and even land lots.
The dates the maps were published do not necessarily coincide with when the data was collected to create those maps. Usually this information is present in the publication information at the bottom or top of each map. The maps would have held important reference information to Ministry workers and were probably consulted frequently. Several maps have annotations marking plots of land, new features, and other notes. Many of the maps are part of composites which can be placed next to each other to create larger maps. It is for this reason that it is believed that some duplications of the maps in this series exist. Most of the maps are topographical; however there are a few maps detailing lots and land registration as well as a few water source maps from the Water Management Division. Maps are printed on paper except for a few which are on Mylar. Maps do not appear to be arranged in any discernable order.

Maps of the following cities and areas are included in this series:
Alert Bay (1956, 1965, 1976)
Ashcroft (1966, 1975)
Boston Bar (1957)
Bowen Island
Bridge River (1970, 1979)
Bute Inlet (1960, 1970, 1991)
Buttle Lake (1977)
Campbell River (1981)
Cheakamus River (1969)
Chilliwack (1959)
Chilliwack Lake (1983, 1986, 1995)
Comox (1956)
Elko (1962)
Haslam Lake (1967)
Hope (1957, 1968)
Kamloops (1979,
Kamloops Lake (1979, 1995)
Kennedy Lake (1975)
Langley (1967, 1978, 1979)
Lardeau (1973)
Lillooet River (1979
Lytton (1968, 1979)
Manning Park (1960)
Merritt (1980)
Mount Urquhart (1955, 1960)
Mount Waddington (1968)
Nootka Sound (1960)
Pemberton (1951, 1972)
Pitt River (1973)
Port Alberni (1976)
Princeton (1980, 1995)
Revelstoke (1932)
Scuzzy Mountain (1956)
Shuswap Lake (1968)
Skagit (1960)
Spuzzum (1957, 1967)
Squamish (1952, 1972, 1982)
Sugar Lake (1956)
Texada Island (1950)
Toba Inlet (1979)
Tulameen (1958, 1978, 1986, 1995)
Vancouver (1959, 1975)
Victoria (1968)
Whistler (1993)
Yale (1966, 1976, 1979, 1995)

Series contains records relating to an application for a Crown grant of coal lands near Nanaimo, B.C., by Ellen Wenborn. Includes correspondence, affidavit and agreement related to Lands file 26911/10.

This series consists of Semi-official correspondence inward received by the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works (1901-1908) and the Chief Commissioner of Lands (1908-1910). Arranged alphabetically.

This series contains acknowledgements of moneys received by the Lands Department pursuant to the pre-emption or sale of crown land. These certificates of purchase include district, legal description of land, acreage, date and terms of payment, name of payer, pre-emption record number, certificate of improvement number, crown grant number and departmental file numbers. The certificates are divided into four series.

SERIES 1. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE BY LAND DISTRICT, 1859-1913. Volumes have alphabetical indexes.
SERIES 2. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, 1874-1890. TOWN LOTS AND MISCELLANEOUS DISTRICT CERTIFICATES. Volumes have alphabetical indexes.
SERIES 3. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, SERIES 4. CERTIFICATES OF PURCHASE, 1907-1944. Vancouver Island certificate books.

This series contains certificates granted with the object of facilitating registration of title to a portion of Crown lands granted to the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway Company and the Kaslo and Slocan Railway Company (2 vols.), 1901-1904. It includes notices from the Deputy Minister of Lands certifying grants, 1920, 1937, 1941, and 1952.

This series contains records relating to auction sales of Prince Rupert lands in 8 volumes. The records consist of a register of auction sale of Prince Rupert lots sold on May 25, 1909 and the following days at Vancouver and Victoria, as well as a register of auction sale of Prince Rupert lots sold on August 28 and 29, 1912 held at Vancouver. The records include receipt certificates for the May 25, 1909 sale (6 volumes). Volume 1 and Volume 8 are oversize.