Williams Lake, B.C. – The new allowable annual cut for the Williams Lake Timber Supply Area has been reduced  by 2.77 million cubic meters. The cut had been 5.77 million cubic meters since 2007 to allow the forestry sector to get the most economic value from trees ravaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle .

The new allowable cut ( which takes effect immediately) is not only reduced, it limits the volume of live trees for harvest to 1.5 million cubic meters.

Not only is the impact of the Mountain Pine Beetle reflected in the new cut limit, the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Tsilhqot’in title area is also taken into account. That ruling removed 141,769 hectares of land from the timber harvesting land base so it can no longer be considered provincial Crown land.

“By focusing on salvaging dead and dying pine while it still has economic value, I am confident we can maintain the mid-term timber supply while contributing to local economies” says Chief Forester Dave Peterson.

There are four lumber mills, one veneer/plywood plant, two log home manufacturers, a pellet mill and a remanufacturing plant in the Williams Lake Timber Supply Area. In addition, a wood waste-fuelled

electric generation plant consumes wood waste from local sawmills to generate electricity for sale to BC Hydro.

The Williams Lake Timber Supply Area covers approximately 4.93 million hectares, with 1.83 million hectares available for timber harvesting.