Province Expands Wildfire and Forest Resilience Efforts

The B.C. government is expanding the role of BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to help reduce wildfire risk and strengthen forest resilience. BCTS, which manages harvesting on over 20% of the province’s public forest land, will now work more closely with the Ministry of Forests, the BC Wildfire Service, First Nations, communities, and industry to thin forests, remove damaged trees, and increase the use of prescribed burns.
This shift comes as wildfires continue to threaten communities and as the U.S. signals new tariff threats against Canadian softwood lumber. Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced the changes at the Council of Forest Industries conference in Prince George.
The government also aims to speed up salvage permits, cutting turnaround times from 40 to 25 days, and has approved the use of nine-axle trucks on logging routes to improve transportation efficiency. There’s also renewed focus on using more B.C. wood in public construction projects.