Whereas many local governments in rural BC are surrounded by significant amounts of forested private land; And whereas local governments are expected to manage the assets that support the value of their communities which include sight line, municipal infrastructure, slope stability of land, and watersheds: Therefore be it resolved that local governments be granted the authority to require private land owners to undertake annual consultations with local governments to provide information regarding long term disposition or development intentions for land adjacent to local government boundaries if intended for commercial purposes.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development The Private Managed Forest Land Act and regulations are intended to encourage the management of private lands as forests and balances the property rights of private land holders with obligations for environmental protection. The Act and regulations ensure consistency in how private managed forest lands are governed, regardless of where in the province they are located. Public feedback from a review of the private managed forest land program is currently being analysed and a summary report of the review will be ready in Spring 2020. Early analysis has indicated a desire for formalized information sharing by private managed forest landowners with local communities and options will be considered. Currently, opportunities are available for direct communication between concerned local governments, individual landowners, Private Managed Land Association, and the regulator of the Private Managed Forest Land Act the Managed Forest Council.