The new system, to be implemented on April 1, will see log harvesting costs based on the size, quality and market value of logs, instead of whether the wood is dead or alive.
The province’s ministry of forests said the pricing change was due to 25% of the interior timber harvest being dead or dry. Despite being dead, much of this cheap wood is being used to make quality products.
Pricing changes should end claims of underpricing for beetle-infested wood but are not expected to have any impact on provincial stumpage revenues.
