British Columbia expands timber program for custom cutters and processors

British Columbia’s Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced an expansion of the BC Timber Sales Value‑Added Manufacturing Program to create a new dedicated category for custom cutters and processors. The change secures additional fibre for roughly 40 specialised companies that employ about 250 workers, allowing them to access BC Timber Sales logs despite not owning their own sawmills. The programme, launched in 2023 with a 10 % allocation of timber to small‑ and medium‑sized manufacturers, was increased to 20 % in 2025 and now formally includes the custom‑cutter sector. Parmar said the move is a response to recent U.S. duties and tariffs that have hurt the dimensional lumber market, aiming to shift the province from being a simple supplier of commodity lumber to a producer of higher‑value wood products for global markets. “These companies contribute heavily to our forest economy,” Parmar stated, adding that the expansion will help create local jobs and improve British Columbia’s competitiveness internationally.