Conservatives promise 45-million cubic metre harvest floor and faster permits for BC forestry
The BC Conservatives published a forestry plan on October 19, pledging a minimum annual harvest of 45 million cubic metres, faster permitting, and new biomass hubs in Prince George and Kamloops.
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The BC Conservatives published a forestry plan on October 19 committing to a minimum annual harvest level of 45 million cubic metres of sustainable timber and faster permit approvals for forestry operators across the province.
Lorne Doerkson announced the plan in Maple Ridge. The Conservative Party's announcement says more than 15,000 forestry jobs have been lost since 2022 and that the industry shrank 50 per cent before US tariffs took effect. These figures are the party's own and voche.me has not checked them against an independent source.
"Forestry built this province, and it still puts food on the table for families right across BC," Doerkson said in the announcement. "My Conservative government will fight for every forestry job and make sure BC forestry is here to stay for our children and our children's children."
The plan sets out seven commitments. A harvest floor of 45 million cubic metres would lock in a minimum level of fibre access with fair compensation for licensees. Permitting timelines would be cut from years to months, with a single-window process for First Nations referrals so operators do not have to manage separate consultations with each government body. Unnecessary permitting costs would be removed, and Indigenous communities would receive skills training to take on more forestry work.
On old-growth, the party says it would resolve existing harvest deferrals while protecting rare ecosystems. The plan does not define what "rare" means or how disputes would be resolved.
Two new biomass hubs would open in Prince George and Kamloops to process wood waste and residue into energy products. A softwood lumber strategy would put BC lumber first in any negotiations with the United States, and government housing and infrastructure projects would be required to use BC lumber.
No specific dollar figures appear in the announcement. No response from the BC NDP or BC Greens to this specific plan had been reported by a news outlet at the time this article was written.
Voting day is October 24, 2026. Advance voting continues through October 21. You can read Lorne Doerkson's profile at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson and compare party platforms at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc.
Questions this story answers
What did the BC Conservatives announce about forestry on October 19?
The Conservative Party of BC published a forestry plan pledging to establish a minimum annual harvest level of 45 million cubic metres of sustainable fibre, speed up permitting so approvals take months instead of years, and launch biomass hubs in Prince George and Kamloops. The party made the announcement on October 19 in Maple Ridge.
What job loss figure did the Conservatives cite?
The Conservative Party's announcement says more than 15,000 forestry jobs have been lost since 2022 and that the industry shrank 50 per cent before US tariffs hit. These are the party's own figures and voche.me has not verified them against an independent source.
What is a harvest floor, and what does 45 million cubic metres mean?
A harvest floor would set a minimum level of timber that the government commits to make available to industry each year. The Conservative plan says 45 million cubic metres of sustainable fibre access would be guaranteed. The party has not published a cost breakdown for how it would pay licensees for any changes to their existing volume commitments.
What did Doerkson say about the forestry plan?
Doerkson said: "Forestry built this province, and it still puts food on the table for families right across BC. My Conservative government will fight for every forestry job and make sure BC forestry is here to stay for our children and our children's children." This is the party's own statement.
What is the plan for Indigenous communities in forestry?
The Conservative announcement says the party would expand Indigenous participation in forestry through skills training and would use single-window First Nations referrals to reduce permitting delays. The party has not published a specific dollar commitment for Indigenous training programs.
What are biomass hubs and where would they be built?
Biomass hubs process wood waste and residue from logging into energy or other products. The Conservative plan says it would launch biomass hubs in Prince George and Kamloops. No budget figure for this commitment appears in the announcement.
What has the BC NDP said about the Conservative forestry plan?
As of the time this article was written, no NDP response to this specific announcement had been reported by a news outlet. The party has previously said its own approach to forestry protects workers and ecosystems.
What can a voter do with this information?
Voting day for the BC provincial election is October 24, 2026. Advance voting continues through October 21. You can read Lorne Doerkson's candidate profile at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson and compare party platforms at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc.
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