WBCF PROJECTS
Timber Harvesting
The need for revenue was among the community’s reasons for acquiring the community forest, and logging was always seen as the primary way to achieve that objective.
The 2014 community forest agreement between Wells-Barkerville Community Forest Ltd and the provincial government specifies an average of 5,000 cubic meters of timber will be logged on the community forest each year. If more is logged, WBCF Ltd can be fined; if less is logged, the provincial government can sell the remaining volume to someone else.
Logging History in Wells
Logging in what is now the Wells-Barkerville Community Forest began with the start of gold mining in the area in the 1860. Wood was used for lining mine shafts and tunnels, for constructing sluice boxes and aquaducts, for constructing houses, shops and warehouses, and enormous amounts were use used for heating; wood was the only source of fuel available.
As placer gold mining expanded an extensive system of wood trestles carried water from higher elevation lakes and creeks to “the diggings” and by 1900 Clarke’s sawmill on Jack Of Clubs Lake was meeting the continuing demand for lumber and timbers.
The provincial government began to regulate logging in the 1950s and an example of logging at this time is still evident in the community forest just south of Big Valley Creek, where “cut and leave” logging harvested strips of trees but left strips of forest between the harvested strips.
From the 1960s until the designation of the community forest in 2014 a number of large clearcuts were harvested.
In the Community Forest
Community meetings in 2015 confirmed revenue as an important objective and decided the best way to minimize expenditures and maximize revenue was to sell the annual allowable cut as standing timber. The opportunity was advertised, proposals were reviewed at a community meeting, and an offer from West Fraser Mills was accepted.
The timber was logged in the winter of 2017 – 2018 from eight clear cuts totaling 57 hectares and a “partial harvest” 30.9 hectare block.
In October 2018 West Fraser agreed to purchase the 25,000 cubic meters to be harvested between 2019 and 2024 with an
agreement similar to the first. West Fraser is hoping to log about 3,000 cubic meters in late 2020 or early 2021. The timing of the remaining harvest of 22,000 cubic meters is still to be decided.
The Community Forest Agreement required the development of a Management Plan that, when approved by the government, became part of the agreement. As required, the Management Plan included a timber supply analysis, and, as determined by the analysis, an allowable annual cut that had to be approved by government. This is the volume of timber, multiplied by five, that must be harvested during every five year “cut control period”.
EXPANSION
The Wells-Barkerville Community Forest is one of the smallest of the approximately 60 community forests in British Columbia and is undergoing efforts to expand its area based tenure - meaning the community forest will hopefully become larger. In early 2023 the Ministry of Forests (MoF) offered the WBCF an uplift to annual timber harvest from the current 5000m3/yr to 12,150m3/yr. This means an area increase in tenure area of ~3500ha is required to support this cut. Since 2023 several areas have been evaluated for as an expansion. Currently, an area roughly corresponding to Cow Mountain south of the Wells Townsite has been chosen as the best candidate. The WBCF is cooperating with West Fraser to transfer this area from Tree Farm License 52 (TFL52) over to the WBCF.
Currently the WBCF is fine tuning the expansion area and will be hopefully seeing this expansion realized in 2026 or early 2027.
LOGGING 2026-2027
The WBCF is planning for a harvest of ~12,000m3 over 2026 and the beginning of 2027.
To achieve this cut the WBCF is applying for a "one Cutting Permit" which applies to the whole community forest tenure. As part of this application, we have a Forest Operation Map (FOM) where anyone can view and comment on our plans. This information can be viewed here: https://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects. The FOMs relevant to the WBCF are #2930, and 2932. They have a comment period of February 10th - March 13th 2026. questions can be directed to eric.matzner@westroad.ca
The bulk of harvesting will be done in the Martins Pass area. We are excited to try some innovative logging techniques where ~30% of the trees are harvested from a given area, leaving behind a stand that looks and acts like a forest. The intent is to manage these stands over multiple harvests spread ~20 years apart so new trees have a chance to establish and grow between cuts, habitat will be preserved, and visual quality maintained. New recreation opportunities may be created as well. Some clear-cut harvesting will occur in areas that aren't ecologically suited to selective harvest. Visual screening, scattered retention and internal reserves will be in place to minimize disturbance and break sight lines.
We are also planning a wildfire risk reduction treatment in the learning forest (this includes the outdoor classroom, Disc golf course, Coronado and Cornish mountain trails). This will involve hand treatments to remove ladder fuels (tree limbs and small trees), and a mechanical portion to break crown connectivity so a wildfire is less likely to candle and spread as a continuous crown fire. These treatments are planned to occur between May 2026 and December 2026. This will include some interruption of trail accessibility while the treatments are occurring. Specific dates are not currently known.