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The series consists of photographs which depict forest industry operations of the companies which were predecessors of Western Forest Products Ltd, dating back to the first decade of the 20th century. Most prevalent are photographs of the activities of the Alaska Pine group of companies in the 1940s and 1950s and Rayonier Canada (B.C.) Limited in the 1960s, companies that were active at Woodfibre, Port Alice, and numerous other locations. Other predecessors to these companies are also represented, including Whalen Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. and British Columbia Pulp and Paper Company Ltd.

Other companies represented include: Empire Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. at Swanson Bay; Canadian Puget Sound Lumber and Timber Company Limited at Jordan River; Western Forest Industries Ltd. at Honeymoon Bay; Alaska Pine Company Limited at New Westminster; and Universal Lumber and Box Company Limited at Vancouver.

The photographs were originally part of accession MS-1996, however at the time of their accession they were separated from the textual material. Consequently, some contextual information has been lost.

The fonds consists of records transferred to BC Archives by Western Forest Products Limited, and is divided into two series: MS-3216 - Predecessor companies, photographs, and, MS-1996 - Predecessor companies, textual records. The records were inherited by Western Forest Products Ltd. when it acquired the B.C. holdings of Rayonier Canada Limited in 1980. These inherited records therefore represent the activities of predecessors of Western Forest Products Ltd., including Rayonier Canada (B.C.) Limited, Whalen Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd., British Columbia Pulp and Paper Company Ltd., Alaska Pine Company Limited (later, Alaska Pine and Cellulose Ltd.) and Universal Lumber and Box Company Ltd., formerly Universal Box Company Ltd. The fonds includes the records of many other smaller predecessor companies dating back to the early 20th century. These companies were the early owners and operators of assets such as the pulp mills at Woodfibre and Port Alice, which passed to WFP in 1980.

It can be assumed these records were in the possession of Western Forest Products Ltd., whether used or not, in the period 1980 to 1985. It is also assumed that prior to that, they were in the possession of the immediate predecessor to WFP, Rayonier Canada (B.C). Limited.

BC Archives received two transfers of records at different times. In 1984, James Buttar, President, Western Forest Products Ltd., Vancouver, presented records (accession MS-1996). On its arrival at the archives this accession included photographs; these photographs and the textual records were then separated. Photographs were transferred to Visual Records accession 198403-001. The textual records received the series identification MS-1996.

On 1985-04-25, BC Archives received accession 89-1392, (originally accessioned as 85-041). These were donated by Ray Collins, Manager, Western Forest Products, Lost Lake Seed Orchard, Victoria.

In 2015, rearrangement was done by BC Archives. The textual records of accession MS-1996 and 89-1392 were combined in one series. This was done because of the common nature of the records (these textual materials all were donated by Western Forest Products Ltd., had been inherited by them, and were originally created by the same predecessor companies.

In the other aspect of the archival rearrangement, the nearly 600 photographs which had been separated from accession MS-1996, and had become Visual Records accession 198403-001, were re-integrated into the arrangement at the fonds level. They have not been re-merged with the textual records of MS-1996, but have been added as a new series, “Predecessor companies, photographs,” MS-3216.