The Ministry of Forests has concluded its review of the Priv…

The Ministry of Forests has concluded its review of the Private Managed Forest Land Program and advised the Regional Board that no legislative changes are planned. The existing regulatory framework for private managed forest land remains unaltered. For interests with holdings in PMFL-designated areas, the absence of new statutory requirements preserves the current conditions: no additional environmental offsets, no tightening of harvest or conversion rules, and no new application triggers. It removes one area of regulatory uncertainty that had been flagged as a potential variable for near-term land assembly or rezoning proposals in the region. The Board’s receipt of this correspondence closes the matter.

A council approval was heard on April 22, 2026, for an undisclosed address in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, with an applicant seeking endorsement for a development proposal. The outcome of the application is not yet available.