Recent changes to FRPA and associated regulations
Last updated on September 25, 2023The province is currently implementing changes to the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). These legislative and regulatory changes are part of a multi-year, phased process to strengthen public confidence in the management of B.C.’s forest and range resources.
Recent amendments to the FRPA are aligned with the province’s strategy to reshape B.C.’s forest management framework so that it continues to serve the public interest in an era of change. The province’s strategy aims to increase Indigenous participation in forest management, adapt to the challenges of climate change, and better integrate with modern land use planning.
Recent changes to FRPA
The specific regulatory and policy changes implemented as a result of legislative amendments adopted in the Forest and Range Practices Amendment Act (Bill 21, 2019) and the Forest Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 23, 2021) are outlined below:
- Removing limitations on objectives set by government
- New protections for ecological communities
- Forest Operations Map
- Forest Stewardship Plans: mandatory amendments, certification and declared areas
- Removing limitations to Ministerial Authority
- Practice requirements for established recreation sites, trails, and interpretive forest sites
FRPA Improvement Initiative
In October 2018, the ministry initiated a multi-year, multi-phase legislative process to contemplate changes to FRPA.
The changes to FRPA are meant to:
- Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Nations by enhancing their participation in forest and range management
- Introduce a new Forest Landscape Planning framework
- Clarify provincial objectives for forest and range resources
- Improve information sharing in forest planning
- Provide more frequent and reliable opportunities for communities to engage in forest planning
- Adapt resource management to changing land base and values
In summer 2021, the ministry reiterated its commitment to modernizing forest policy by releasing an intentions paper (PDF, 2.6MB).
- Learn more about how B.C. is modernizing forest policy
- Learn about Forest Landscape Planning (PDF, 230KB)
The multi-year timeline for the FRPA Improvement Initiative is described in three phases:
Step 1 - Initial amendments are introduced as Bill 21
A first round of amendments to FRPA were introduced into legislation through the Forest and Range Practices Amendment Act, 2019 (Bill 21, 2019) in spring 2019.
Bill 21 was intended as a first step to improve the administration and transparency of forest stewardship planning by allowing initial legislative and regulatory changes including:
- Requirement for a Forest Operations Map (FOM) depicting the approximate geographic location of proposed cutblocks and roads to improve public discourse in forest planning
- Mandatory replacement timelines for Forest Stewardship Plans and Woodlot License Plans to facilitate adoption of the forest landscape planning framework
- Amendment requirements for catastrophic timber damage
- Expanded definition of wildlife consistent with other legislation
Step 2 - Amendments introduced in 2021 address public input, reconciliation
Changes to FRPA introduced in Bill 23 - Forest Statutes Amendment Act, include important improvements to forest and range management in the province that prioritize forest health and move forward on commitments to reconciliation. These include:
- Introduction of the new Forest Landscape Planning (FLP) framework to clarify forest management objectives and improve transparency in forest planning and at a landscape scale
- Alignment of FRPA with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to strengthen government-to-government relations and shared decision-making opportunities in forest planning
- Expanding provisions for wildfire management, including the addition of wildfire as a FRPA objective and new prescribed practices within Wildland Urban Interface Areas to safeguard B.C. communities against the threat of wildfire
- Enhancing road management to protect public safety and the environment
- Improving the compliance and enforcement framework through enabling disclosure of information, the creation of 12 new fines and increasing nine others
Step 3 - The future of FRPA
The province is committed to working with Indigenous Nations, the forest industry, stakeholders and the public throughout the multi-year lifespan of the FRPA Improvement Initiative. Changes to the legislation will be brought into force by an Order-In-Council or through the development of regulation and policy.