Residents Can Now Access Timber for personal Consumption Easier

The Provincial Government has made amendments to provincial forestry regulations that they say are designed to make it easier for residents to access timber for personal consumption.

2018, the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources issued 25,000 domestic cutting permits that accounted for the harvesting of approximately 500,000 cubic meters or 138,000 cords of wood for personal use.

The Forestry Act has been amended to allow the holder of a domestic cutting permit to list up to ten individuals as assistants to help in the cutting of timber for personal consumption. In addition, Cutting of Timber regulations have been amended to allow a domestic cutting permit holder to gift wood to another individual.

Previously, the holder of a domestic cutting permit could only list one assistant to cut wood on their behalf and the gifting of wood was not permitted.