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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions Forests and forestry--British Columbia
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Fort Nelson Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4065
  • Series
  • 1979-1999

This series consists of cutting permits and other forest tenure records created from 1979-1999 by the Fort Nelson Forest District, a division of the Prince George Forest Region. All files were managed as part of the Fort Nelson Forest District when the files were closed and transferred to the archives.

The series includes the following types of timber tenures: forest licences and one silviculture audit file. The majority of files relate to cutting permits. Licensees were required to apply for a forest licence or similar tenure and cutting permits in order to harvest timber. Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures.

The records include legal documents, operations information, correspondence, forms, reports, maps, licences, permits, permit amendment or renewal documentation, applications, logging plans, reports, silviculture prescriptions, stumpage adjustment, and financial records.

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

The records were classified as 18765-20 and 19500-20 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Fort Nelson Forest District

Sunshine Coast Forest District tree farm licence plans

  • GR-4093
  • Series
  • 1968-1999

This series consists of tree farm licence (TFL) forest development plans and management plans created from 1968-1999 by the Sunshine Coast Forest District. 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.

These files document the management of TFL numbers 10, 39 and 43. Over the years, TFL boundaries and rights holders may have changed. TFL holders are required to submit a management plan every five years to the Chief Forester (RSBC 1996, c. 157, s. 35, and BC Reg. 23/2013).

These records include draft and final management or development plans; revisions or amendments to existing plans; correspondence between the ministry and licence holders, as well as correspondence with ministry staff; records related to public review of the development plans; consultation and correspondence with impacted First Nations; reasons for why a plan or amendment was or was not approved; advertisements in newspapers and the Gazette; and maps and map overlays.

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

The records have been classified as 19710-20 and 19710-55 in the Forestry Operational Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Sunshine Coast Forest District

Sunshine Coast Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4094
  • Series
  • 1966-1999

This series consists of a variety of records related to timber tenures created from 1966-1999 by the Sunshine Coast Forest District, a division of the Vancouver Forest Region.

The series includes the following types of timber tenures: forest licences, replaceable timber sale licences, non-replaceable timber sale licences, tree farm licences, timber licences and woodlot licences. The series includes cutting permits for the following tree farm licences: TFL 10 and TFL 39. Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures.

The records may include legal documents, operations information, development plans, correspondence, forms, applications, Forest Service memos, approval letters, reports, maps, licences, permits, photos, and charts.

The series also includes fish and forestry guidelines for major licensees and small business licence holders. these are in the form of assessment action plans and CFFG audit records.

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

The records were classified as 19500-45, 19580-45, 19600-30, 19600-45, 19600-55, 19620-25, 19700-45, 19720-20, 19720-45, 19720-55, 19910-20 and 19910-30 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Sunshine Coast Forest District

Squamish Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4080
  • Series
  • 1976-1999

This series consists of a variety of records related to timber tenures created from 1976-1999 by the Squamish Forest District, a division of the Vancouver Forest Region.

The series includes the following types of timber tenures: replaceable forest licences, licences to cut, special use permits, timber licences, replaceable timber sale licences and non replaceable timber sale licences. The majority of files relate to cutting permits. Licensees were required to apply for a forest licence or similar tenure and cutting permits in order to harvest timber. Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures.

The records include legal documents, operations information, development plans, correspondence, forms, reports, maps, licences, charts, annual reports, development plans, permits, permit amendment or renewal documentation, applications, logging plans, reports, silviculture prescriptions, major licensee silviculture audits, stumpage adjustment, salvage information, and financial records.

There is also one order in council (OIC) export of timber products exemption approval file. This relates to the application for and granting of permission to export timber and timber products from the Province of British Columbia pursuant to S. 145 of the Forest Act, including inspection records.

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

The records were classified as 19500-45, 19500-55, 19540-25, 19570-25, 19580-55, 19600-30, 19600-45, 19600-55, 19600-60, 19620-25 and 20740-04 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Squamish Forest District

Columbia Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4068
  • Series
  • 1931-1998

This series consists of a variety of records related to timber tenures predominantly created from 1975-1998 by the Columbia Forest District, a division of the Nelson Forest Region. The series also includes records from the Revelstoke Forest District, Golden Forest District, Kootenay Lake Forest District, and Mica Creek Forest Station. All files were managed as part of the Columbia Forest District when the files were closed.

The series includes the following types of timber tenures: forest licences, timber licences, timber sale licences, timber sale harvesting licences, cash timber sale licences, licences to cut, timber marks, timber berths, woodlot licences, special use permits and road permits. There are also records related to tree farm licences (TFL) 23, 55 and 56. The majority of files relate to cutting permits. Licensees were required to apply for a forest licence or similar tenure and cutting permits in order to harvest timber. Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of these timber tenures.

The records include legal documents, operations information, correspondence, forms, reports, maps, photos, licences, permits, permit amendment or renewal documentation, applications, logging plans, reports, silviculture prescriptions, major licensee silviculture audits, stumpage adjustment, salvage information, and financial records.

Additional types of records include: subject files on weather, mining and oil exploration, tree seeds, resource analysis program, and forest road planning; a timber tenures ledger; files regarding audits of licensees to ensure compliance with guidelines for managing and preserving fish habitat; and a few silviculture opening files.

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

The records were classified as 18765-20, 18750-20, 19500-45, 19540-25, 19565-25, 19570-25, 19580-45, 19600-45, 19620-25, 19700-45, 19720-20 and 19910-20 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Columbia Forest District

Campbell River Forest District silviculture records

  • GR-4086
  • Series
  • 1996-1998

This series consists of silviculture records from 1996-1998 by the Campbell River Forest District, a division of the Vancouver Forest Region. 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.”

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. These records cover major licencees and woodlot licnces.

Records include forms, applications, silviculture prescriptions, correspondence, maps and photos.

The ministries responsible for creating these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

The records were classified as 18765-20 and 18765-25 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Campbell River Forest District

Kamloops Forest Region forest tenures

  • GR-4022
  • Series
  • 1989-1998

This series includes records related to forest tenures in the Kamloops Forest Region from 1987-1998. The series currently includes records from the Kamloops Forest District, Penticton Forest District and Vernon Forest District within the larger Kamloops Forest Region.

Types of forest tenure records in this series include non-replaceable timber sale licences (TSLs), including licences issued under the Small Business Forest Enterprise (SBFEP) program and BC Timber Sales Program.

Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation and extension of forest tenures under the Forest Act.

Records include correspondence; licences; logging plans; log hauling and harvesting contracts; preharvest silviculture prescriptions, reviews and amendments; harvest inspection reports and appraisals; stumpage calculations; records related to right of ways and Forest Service Road permits; reports; maps; and photos.

The series also includes legal documents for cutting permits for replaceable forest licences and tree farm licence (TFL) 35. These files may include some of the records described above, but primarily contain records related to silviculture prescriptions and surveys.

The records have been classified as 19500-45 and 19620-25 in the Forestry Operational Classification System (ORCS).

The ministries responsible for these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest Region

Non-replaceable timber sale licences

  • GR-3631
  • Series
  • [ca. 1968]-1997

Series consists of non-replaceable timber sale licence files. These licences provide an applicant with a one-time right to harvest timber in a specified area.

Each file documents the issuance, administration and cancellation of licences as per the Forest Act. The majority of the files in this series date from 1978-1995 although there are also some files that date back to 1968. The records are from all areas of the province.

The files consist primarily of copies of the licence, applications, maps, deletion notices, status clearance forms, correspondence and reports. The ministry assigned A numbers to the files which have been assigned sequentially. There are many gaps in the numbering since the ministry only transferred cancelled licence files to the archives.

The records were created by the Timber Management Branch and the Timber Harvesting Branch. The following ministries were responsible for forestry between 1973-1994:
1973-1975 Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
1975-1976 Dept. of Forests
1976-1986 Ministry of Forests
1986-1988 Ministry of Forests and Lands
1988-1994 Ministry of Forests

The records have been classified as 19620-25 in the Forest ORCS.

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

Prince George Forest Region timber tenures

  • GR-4030
  • Series
  • 1970-1996

This series consists of various timber tenure records from the Prince George Forest Region, which managed several Forest Districts. Records created in the Prince George Forest Region may relate to the following Forest Districts: Fort St. James, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Robson Valley, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Prince George and Peace.

The records were created from 1970-1996. Types of forest tenure records in this series include: regional manager timber pricing appeal files, timber sale licences, timber sale harvesting licences, cutting permits, woodlot licences, cash sale timber licences, and forest licences. These tenures were created under the Forest Act between the BC Forest Service and various companies or individuals.

Records regard the issuance, evaluation, administration, monitoring, planning, replacement, cancellation, deletion and extension of forest tenures, as well as operations information. Operations information includes business and planning records regarding the establishment and operations of mills and other forestry related projects. They provide additional context of how and why licences were applied for and approved, as well as relevant administrative history of the companies such as name changes, changes in ownership and financial information.

Records include legal documents, clearance records, stumpage rate calculations, correspondence, maps, development plans, procedures, contracts, logging plans, forest management plans, appraisals and photos. Pricing appeal files relate to appeals and protests registered concerning timber prices (stumpage rates) set by the Province of British Columbia, and resolved by decision of Regional Manager.

The ministries responsible for Forest and Range Districts, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)
Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988)
Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)

This series is classified under ORCS numbers 19720-20, 19720-45, 19720-55 and 21680-20 of the Ministry of Forests schedule (881261).

British Columbia. Prince George Forest Region

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

Provincial Archives of British Columbia audio interviews, 1974-1992

  • GR-3377
  • Series
  • 1974-1992

The series consists of oral history interviews recorded by staff members and research associates of the Provincial Archives of B.C. Major subject areas include: political history (especially the Coalition era, the W.A.C. Bennett years, and David Barrett's NDP government); ethnic groups (including Chinese- and Japanese-Canadans); frontier and pioneer life; the forest industry; B.C. art and artists; the history of photography, filmmaking and radio broadcasting in the province; and the history of Victoria High School.

The interviewers include: Kathryn Bridge, Janet Cauthers, David Day, Patrick Dunae, Terry Eastwood, Merna Forster, Eric Gee, Frances Gundry, Maya Koizumi, W.J. Langlois, Charles Lillard, Theresa Low, Indiana Matters, David Mattison, Patriick May, David Mitchell, Constantine Nikitiuk, Andrew Petter, Derek Reimer, Allen W. Specht, Loree Stewart, and Reuben Ware.

Tree farm cutting permits from the Port Alberni Forest District

  • GR-3640
  • Series
  • 1955-1992

The series consists of tree farm cutting permit files from the Port Alberni Forest District. These files document the permit application process and the general administration of existing cutting permits in forests that are part of tree farm licences (TFL) 20, 21, 22, 44, 46 and 54. The records were created between 1955 and 1992.

The series is arranged by accession, then the tree farm number followed by the cutting permit number. The files contain forms, reports, correspondence and maps. The files consist of cutting permit applications, ministry approvals, revisions to the permit, forest appraisals, a description and maps of the area that will be logged, future plans for the area as well as ministry audits of the work that has been undertaken.

The files are for TFL 44, TFL 20 and TFL 21. In 1984, TFL’s 20 and 21 were consolidated to create TFL 44.

The ministries that were responsible for these records are:
1955-1962 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
1988-2005 Ministry of Forests

The records have been classified as 19700-45, 19700-46 and 19700-47 in the Forest Operational Classification System (ORCS). These numbers are covered under the old forestry file code number 880-3.

British Columbia. Port Alberni Forest District

Sunshine Coast Forest District resource management records

  • GR-4095
  • Series
  • 1984-1991

This series consists of records related to resource management created by the Sunshine Coast Forest District, part of the Vancouver Forest Region. The records date from 1984-1991.

The series currently includes on local resource use plan (LRUP) for Elphinstone. LRUPs are designed to resolve resource use conflicts in specific areas at the local level.

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

The records were classified as 12600-20 in the Forest Operational Records Classification System (ORCS).

British Columbia. Sunshine Coast 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

Special timber licences

  • GR-3736
  • Series
  • 1911-1990 (primarily 1963-1982)

Series consists of special timber licences created by the Ministry of Forests and its predecessors. The ministry created these records to manage the process of providing applicants with the right to cut in forests. The records were created between 1911-1990 although the majority of the records in this series were created between 1963 and 1982. The records deal with all areas of the province and were created in accordance with the Forest Act and its sections on timber licences.

Special timber licences were first referred to in the 1888 Lands Act (SBC 1888, c. 16). The 1912 Forest Act (SBC 1912, c. 17) stated that a “special timber licence shall vest in the holder thereof all rights of property whatsoever in all trees, timber, and lumber cut within the limits of the licence during the term.” These licences remained in effect until the January 1, 1979 enactment of the new Forest Act (SBC 1978, c. 23). This 1978 act replaced special timber licences with a new form of timber licence.

The records are arranged by the timber licence number which begins with TL followed by a sequential number. The TL number was phased out in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s with the introduction of the timber licence files. Many files have the new timber licence number, which begins with “T”, written on the front of the file. There is also a sheet in the front of the file that contains information about the file that replaced it.

The files usually consist of a copy of the licence, renewal documentation, correspondence, logging inspection reports, and termination documents.

There are also two volumes of file 18043f from the Dept. of Lands and Works’ “O” files series. These files contain documentation about multiple licences. These have been placed in the last box.

Ministries that were responsible for this series include:
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)

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

Timber sale licences from the Kamloops Forest District

  • GR-3760
  • Series
  • 1942-1989

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.

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

Canadian Plywood Association fonds

  • PR-2178
  • Fonds
  • 1955-1989

The fonds consists of prints and/or printing elements of motion picture films that were distributed by the Canadian Plywood Association (CPA) or its predecessors, the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia (COFI) and the Plywood Manufacturers Association of British Columbia (PMA). Most of the films were produced between 1955 and 1989 for the COFI or the PMA by three BC companies: Canawest Film Productions, Kelly Duncan Productions, or Lew Parry Film Productions. The films deal with with the harvesting of trees, the manufacture of wood and wood products (including plywood, shakes, shingles, etc.), and the use of these products in the construction industry.

Canadian Plywood Association

Stand tending reports

  • GR-3714
  • Series
  • 1977-1987

Series consists of stand tending reports which were created to document forest treatments in the province. According to the Ministry of Forests, “stand tending is a subset of silviculture that includes a variety of forest treatments, including pre-commercial thinning, fertilizing, pruning and commercial thinning, which are carried out to maintain a healthy forest and to increase the quality and quantity of timber produced.”

The reports were maintained by the Victoria Office of the Ministry of Forests. Each report is on a standardized form and a map of the area treated attached to many of them. The reports contain information about the forest region, the district as well as the National Topographic System map number to provide the location of the work. The forms also list the type of project that was undertaken, the project objective and the accomplishments. The forms were usually completed by the contracted party who carried out the work and there is a space on the form to record who did the work, the costs and the date that the work was started. The forms were also signed by the project foreman and forestry staff.

The records are arranged by the Forest District with individual folders for each year. The folders consist primarily of copies of the planting report form and a map of the area planted. Some folders also contain other documents such as planting inspection reports, daily planting progress reports, and correspondence.

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

Ministry of Forests 1976-1986
Ministry of Forests and Lands 1986-1988

Classified by the ministry as 18750-20 in the Ministry of Forests ORCS.

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)

Planting reports

  • GR-3709
  • Series
  • 1962-1987

Series consists of forestry planting reports. The reports were created to document reforestation work in the province. The reports were written on standardized form and the description on the back of the form says that “the object of the form is to provide a complete and realistic report of planning project for record and cost comparison purposes.”

The forms were usually completed by the contracted party who carried out the reforestation work. The reports document the number of trees planted, where the planting took place and the cost of doing the work. For most of the years covered by this series, the forms were completed in triplicate with one copy being submitted to the Ranger Office, one to the Reforestation Officer in the District Office and one to the Reforestation Division in Victoria. The reports in this series are from the Victoria Office.

The records are arranged by the Forest District with individual folders for each year. The early records usually contain a range of years in each folder. The folders consist primarily of copies of the planting report form and a map of the area planted. Some folders also contain other documents such as planting inspection reports, daily planting progress reports, and correspondence.

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

Classified by the ministry as 18750-20 in the Ministry of Forests ORCS.

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

Nelson Forest Region tree farm licence records

  • GR-4023
  • Series
  • 1970-1987

This series consists of records related to tree farm licences (TFLs) managed by the Nelson Forest Region and its predecessor the Nelson Forest District. This currently includes records in the Arrow Forest District, which was part of the larger Region. Records date from 1970-1987.

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. Records relate to TFL 3 and TFL 23.

The records are arranged by TFL number, then by the cutting permit number within the TFL. Each file will contain a variety of records relating to one cutting permit. This includes licences, cutting permits, other legal documents and operations information. Records include correspondence, reports, forms, maps, photos, applications, amendments, approvals, road tight-of-way documents, stumpage records and appraisal records. The majority of files are arranged with stumpage and appraisal records on the right side of the file, and most other records on the left side of the file. This organization may not be consistent for each file.

The records have been classified as 19700-45 in the Forestry Operational Classification System (ORCS). However, these records predate the creation of ORCS. They were originally created under the Ministry of Forests File Directory number 870-3-1 where all records related to a TFL were filed together.

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)

British Columbia. Nelson Forest District (1913-1978)

Timber tenures from the Kamloops Forest District

  • GR-3769
  • Series
  • 1962-1986

The series consists of various timber tenures from the Kamloops Forest District of the Department of Forests and its successors. Records date from 1962-1986.

Forest tenures in this series include cutting permits, timber licences, timber sale licences, timber sale harvesting licences, licences to cut, timber berths, tree farm licences and free use permits. The licences provided the licensee with the right to harvest timber from a specific area. These files document the management of timber licences and include records relating to the issuance, administration, planning, cancellation or deletion, extension and monitoring of the tenures. Files may have A numbers, T numbers, X numbers, or other numbers specific to a type of tenure.

The files may contain a copy of the licence, forms, reports, maps of the area that will be logged, ministry approvals, operating plans, annual reports, as well as a wide variety of correspondence with the licensee.

The records were transferred to the archives under several numbers in the Ministry of Forests ORCS schedule (881261). However, most of the records in this series predate the creation of ORCS, and may have file codes from the old Ministry of Forests File Directory, such as 850-16.

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

Public sustained yield unit policy files

  • GR-3700
  • Series
  • 1955-1985

The series consists of policy files relating to public sustained yield units. These records were created between 1955 and 1985 by the Ministry of Forests and its predecessors. The records were created by the ministry’s central office in Victoria and relate to all areas of the province. These files were used for planning in public sustained yield unit areas.

Public sustained yield units (PSYU) were used by the ministry between 1948 and 1978. They were the method by which the ministry regulated harvest rates. PSYUs were an outgrowth of the 1945 Royal Commission on the Forest Resources of British Columbia. This commission recommended that the ministry should establish forest management units to ensure the long term sustained yield of timber.

The ministry established 88 public sustained yield units in the province and these are reflected in the records of this series. In 1978, the ministry replaced the system of public sustained yield units with timber supply areas. The 88 PSYU’s were reduced to 33 timber supply areas.

Records contain correspondence, maps and reports. The correspondence is with ministry staff, other ministries and third parties including businesses and individuals. The majority of the documents relate to forest use but there are also records that relate to other land use information including mining, recreation, parks, and environment. The reports include computer printouts and written reports. The computer printouts contain information about forestry yield.

Files are arranged alphabetically. There is a file for each of the PSYUs in the province. Each file has also been assigned a classification number that begins with the numbers 700-6-1. This classification number was first assigned to the records ca. 1979. Documents in each file that were created prior to 1979 have been assigned a “0” number. The “0” numbers are 7 digit numbers that are part of a filing system that was created by the Dept. of Lands which was a predecessor of Forests.

Ministries responsible for creating these records, and the dates that they were responsible, include:
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests (1955-1962)
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
British Columbia. Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1985)

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests

Merritt Forest District timber tenures

  • GR-4109
  • Series
  • 1958-1985

This series consists of various timber tenures created by the Merritt Forest District and its predecessors from 1958-1985. Tenures include timber sale licences (TSL), timber sale harvesting licences (TSHL), forest licences (FL) and their associated cutting permits (CP).

Records may 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, and maps.

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)

British Columbia. Merritt Forest District

Public sustained yield units management files

  • GR-3708
  • Series
  • 1952-1984

The series consists of management files relating to public sustained yield units. These files document day to day operations and were used for implementing and managing yield policies throughout the province. These records were created between 1956 and 1984 by the Ministry of Forests and its successors. The records were created by the ministry’s central office in Victoria and relate to all areas of the province.

Public sustained yield units (PSYU) were used by the ministry between 1948 and 1978. They were a method by which the ministry regulated harvest rate. PSYUs were an outgrowth of the Royal Commission on the Forest Resources of British Columbia of 1945. This commission recommended that the ministry should establish forest management units that would be managed for a long term sustained yield of timber.

The ministry established 88 public sustained yield units in the province and these are reflected in the records of this series. In 1978, the ministry replaced public sustained yield units with timber supply areas. The 88 PSYU’s were reduced into 33 timber supply areas.

Records contain correspondence, maps, and reports. The correspondence is with ministry staff, other ministries, other governments, businesses and members of the public. The correspondence includes letters about annual cutting rates including information about companies that exceed or do not meet their annual rates of harvesting. There are also requests from municipalities, members of the public and businesses for an increase in cutting quotas.

Files are arranged alphabetically. There is a file for each of the PSYUs in the province. Each file has also been assigned a classification number that begins with the numbers 700-6-1. This classification number was first assigned to the records ca. 1979. Documents in each file that were created prior to 1979 have been assigned a “0” number. The “0” numbers are 7 digit numbers that are part of a filing system that was created by the Dept. of Lands which was a predecessor of Forests.

Ministries responsible for creating these records, and the dates that they were responsible, include:
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests (1955-1962)
British Columbia. Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1962-1975)
British Columbia. Dept. of Forests (1975-1976)
British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1984)

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Forests

Correspondence subject indexes

  • GR-1365
  • Series
  • 1918-1983

This series contains subject indexes to the "O Series" of correspondence, ca.1918-1972 and two file directories, 1979-1981 and 1983. Box 1 contains a photocopy of an alphabetical card index to the "O series" of correspondence. Box 2 contains a file directory (updated to 1972) for "O Series" correspondence files arranged as general files, working plans, engineering, farm woodlot applications, public sustained yield units, tree farms and tree farm licences and a Forest Service file directory, 1979-1981 and a Ministry of Forests file directory, 1983. Indexes to forestry correspondence, 1918-1983

British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1976-1986)

Forest Service photograph indexes

  • GR-4186
  • Series
  • [195?]-1983

The series consists of various indexes and inventories created by the Forest Service to manage their photograph files along with some miscellaneous material, such as their copies of the Oxford classification system used to classify forest photographs. There are also several inventories of Forest Service photographs created by the BC Archives and print copies of some photographs including botanical renderings.

British Columbia. Forest Service

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)

Timber berth administration files from the Kamloops Forest District

  • GR-3770
  • Series
  • 1930-1983

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.

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

Western Forest Industries Ltd. fonds

  • PR-0125
  • Fonds
  • [ca. 1900-1983]; predominant 1949-1981

The fonds consists of company business records which relate to the full range of its activities in logging, lumber and shingle production, and marketing of its products. Most of the records concern the plant at Honeymoon Bay, the logging camp at Gordon River, and the facilities and residences built for employees at those locations.

The fonds includes records of predecessor companies (records created prior to the founding of Western Forest Industries Ltd. in 1946). It also consists of records of the companies that had majority ownership of Western Forest Industries Ltd., including Alaska Pine and Cellulose Ltd. and Rayonier Canada (B.C.) Limited, (and the owner of the latter, after 1968, ITT Rayonier Incorporated).

The fonds consists of general office files, in four different series, dating primarily from ca. 1949 to 1981. These records were created by the following departments and offices: the manager, accounting, sales and production co-ordinator, boom department, powerhouse, forestry/engineering, electrical, logging division, mill superintendent, and personnel.

The fonds also consists of technical and architectural drawings, blueprints, maps and plans; these are in two different series: CM/ES4 and MS-1333.K. Most of the maps and plans relate to land, timber holdings, and logging and forestry issues. The technical drawings and blueprints relate to mills and mill equipment, and to buildings and facilities for the worker communities at Honeymoon Bay and Gordon River. Some of the maps, plans and drawings were created by predecessor companies prior to 1946.

The fonds also consists of ca. 900 photographs (colour and black & white), including prints, slides, and negatives. (Many of the latter are undeveloped). The images include the Honeymoon Bay plant, townsite and environs, workers, equipment and logging locations.

The fonds consists of the following series:
CM/ES4 - Western Forest Industries Ltd. plans and maps series [multimedia]
MS-1333 - Western Forest Industries Ltd. records
MS-2182 - Office files
MS-2187 - Sales and production coordinator office files
MS-3137 - Administrative office files

The following items are not attached to a series:
AAAA1582 Cowichan Valley logging and milling, which consists of unedited film footage of logging and sawmilling operations, ca. 1963;
G-03160 Western Forest Industries mill at Honeymoon Bay (1 photograph); and,
G-03161 Lake Cowichan, Climax locomotive No. 10 (1 photograph).

Western Forest Industries Ltd.

Timber sale harvesting licences from the Kamloops Forest District

  • GR-3768
  • Series
  • 1966-1983

The series consists of timber sale harvesting licences (TSHL) from the Kamloops 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 in the Kamloops Forest District during the period of 1966-1983.

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, and inspection reports. The files are numbered and arranged by the licence number.

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

1963-1975 Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources
1975-1976 Dept. of Forests
1976-1983 Ministry of Forests

The records have been classified as 19590-20 in the Forest ORCS.

British Columbia. Kamloops Forest District (1913-1978)

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