Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Scale and royalty invoices, ledgers, and reports
General material designation
- microform
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents of series.
Level of description
Series
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1977-1994 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia. Ministry of Forests (1988-2005)
Physical description area
Physical description
3.4 m of microform records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
In 1988, the Ministry of Forests was renamed from the Ministry of Forests and Lands (OIC 1305/1988). The Ministry of Forests was responsible for the management of forest and range resources of the Crown and the planned use of such land in accordance with the Forest Act and Department of Forest Act. The department was also responsible for encouraging maximum productivity of those resources and encouraging a competitive timber processing industry in the province. The new organizational structure consisted of three divisions: Forestry, Operations and Management Services. A number of branches also reported directly to the Deputy Minister. During fiscal year 1993-1994, a Policy and Planning Division was formed to take in the branches that formerly reported directly to the Deputy. The ministry was renamed the Ministry of Forests and Range in 2005 (OIC 450/2005).
Custodial history
Scope and content
The series consists of records created by the Ministry of Forests (1976-1986), the Ministry of Forests and Lands (1986-1988) and the Ministry of Forests (1988-). Records date from 1977-1994.
The series includes nine different types of computer output microfiche (COM) reports that are arranged by year. Within each year, each type is filed separately, and subdivided by forest district (1977-1978) or forest region (1979-present), if applicable. Districts/regions include: Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Kamloops, Prince George, Nelson and Cariboo.
The records include the following: piece scale invoices, weight scale invoices, weight scale ratio report, appraisal code sheets, mark rate report, mark royalty reports, road ledger, scaler ledger and species ledger. These records are generated by scale and royalty billing activities. It is a requirement of the Forest Act ( SBC 1978, c. 23) that all timber be scaled.
There are two primary methods of scaling used in the Province: piece scale and weight scale. Piece scale involves the measurement of each log harvested. This method is normally used in coastal areas where the logs are larger and not uniform in size. Weight scale is a sampling method where selected loads of logs over a period of time are piece scaled and this data is then used to estimate the volume of all other weighed loads. This method is used primarily in the interior of the Province and was introduced in 1963. It is generally used for large volumes of smaller logs that are uniform in size. Other scaling methods may be used for small volumes of special products, for example, Christmas trees or fence posts.
Until 1985, scalers were employees of the Ministry of Forests, with some limited exceptions. After privatization, the Ministry retained responsibility for examination, appointment, and licensing of scalers. The Ministry is now responsible for authorizing scale sites and conditions, designating which scale timber should go to, establishing scale computation and data controls and ensuring compliance with regulations. The requirements for scaling are outlined in part 6 of the Forest Act and the Scaling Regulations. Additional information is contained in the Scaling Manual and Ministry of Forests scaling policies. The Scaling Manual provides specific instructions on how scale will be measured and calculated and which records must be submitted.
Piece and weight scale invoices are generated from the data collected from the two different types of scaling. They document the amount of royalties owing by each account holder. The two types are kept separately and arranged by forest district/region and consecutive account number. Piece scale invoices are identified with a code beginning with P followed by a letter for the region. Weight scale invoices are identified with a code beginning with W followed by a letter for the region. The letters used for the regions are: V or W (effective May 1982) for Vancouver; R for Prince Rupert; K for Kamloops; G for Prince George; N for Nelson and C for Cariboo. Invoice numbers which are missing were used for manual billing, a practice which ended in the early 1980's.
Ratio reports are the ratios in effect for the month and that are used for processing Weight Scale billing. Ratios are determined by the sample loads that are scaled.
Appraisal code sheets contain information about timber marks. This information is used to determine stumpage rates for billing purposes. These records date from 1979-1982. They have been replaced by the General Appraisal System.
Mark reports include information about rates, appraisals, and other administrative information about each timber mark. These are monthly reports.
Mark royalty reports include rate information for each class of royalty by species/product/grade. Combined with scale data this will determine which rates are used for each royalty type.
Road ledgers were set up to amortise, over time, specific forestry and road costs as part of the timber the late 1970 's and 1980's. These invoices reflect a credit to stumpage associated with the amortisation amount related to either a piece or weight scale invoice.
There are separate ledgers for piece scale invoices and weight scale invoices; each ledger is subdivided by forest district/region. The code used to identify a piece scale road ledger is K followed by a letter representing the district/region. The codes used to identify a weight scale road ledger is L followed by a letter for the district/region. The records date from 1979 to 1985.
There are two types of species ledgers, monthly and yearly. These reports list the log volumes billed by species on each invoice. The monthly report is organized by district/region and timber mark. The yearly report is organized by region and timber mark. The yearly report also includes year to date reports.
A timber mark indicates the property on which the logs were cut. The scalers' ledger is a list of the volume and value scaled by each scaler and is arranged by scaler licence number.
These records are found in secondaries 20340-20, 20390-20, 20390-50 and 21330-20 in the Ministry of Forests ORCS, schedule number 881261.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Multiple transfers by the Ministry of Forests (1976-1986), Ministry of Forests and Lands and the Ministry of Forests (1988-). Exact transfer dates are unknown.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Original microfiche in accession 93-6765.
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
No access restrictions apply.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
Predecessor series is GR-3180 Forest Service scale and royalty invoices and GR-3181 Forest Service district invoices. Related records are available in GR-0945, GR-0965, GR0973, GR-1035, GR-1194, GR-1213, GR-1266, and GR-1452.
Accruals
Annual accruals are expected after the records are more than 7 years old.
General note
Archives code(s): Originally described as AAAA0916; Former parent AAAA0835.
General note
Accession number(s): 91-4041