Overview of BC Timber Sales

BCTS is a government agency that is part of the BC Ministry of Forests.  BCTS is responsible for the management of about 17% of all unprotected forest in BC and about 20% of overall "crown land" timber extraction. The yellow areas on this map are managed by BCTS.  

BCTS divides the province into 12 operating areas. Up until 2024, Haida Gwaii was a 13th operating area, but it is not included anymore due to governance changes.

The BCTS Kootenay Operating Area stretches from west of Grand Forks to the Alberta border in the east, and far north, including Golden. Each of the orange areas on the map represent a landscape unit available for harvesting by BCTS. The Kootenay operating area is notable as it includes the corridor where deep snow caribou have been driven to virtual local extinction under BCTS'  management.

BCTS' Kootenay operating area sales schedule shows 157 clearcuts, totaling about 7500 acres, or 3000 hectares. This fiscal year, BCTS will log about 1,053,000 cubic meters in this area alone. This is the equivalent of 26,000 logging trucks of wood (at 40m3 per truck). A similar situation is being repeated in the 11 other BCTS operating areas. 

BCTS harvest has decreased in the past 5 years, due to dwindling timber supply and the 2021/22 old growth deferrals. Expect the numbers to almost double as the result of BCTS backtracking on its 2021 promises to stop logging old growth, and increased logging under the guise of the highly questionable "salvage logging" and "wildfire mitigation."  

This FOI request indicates that six businesses in the Kootenays are BCTS's best clients province-wide.  There are probably more Kootenay businesses, but it is hard to figure out anything about the numbered companies. There is no accountability possible for numbered companies.