Road Permit - Forestry

A road permit (RP) is issued in accordance with Part 8 of the FA to a holder of an forest agreement identified in Section 12 of the FA for the purposes to access timber. A RP authorizes the holder to construct, use and maintain a forest road. 

On this page

• About road permits
• Authority for industrial use

About road permits

A road permit provides cutting authority for the timber within the road right of way. A road permit must be issued to construct a road on Crown Land if the SDM is satisfied the proposed road has met after the planning requirement under Forest Range and Practices Act (FRPA).

If the road is an existing non-status road (an older, abandoned road with no active tenure), a road permit is required for industrial use and maintenance.

The road permit document has provisions that:

• Define the legal area of interest (the permit area described on the Exhibit A map)
• Define the rights granted (including, if necessary, the harvest of timber within clearing area)
• Set the term (beginning date and criteria for termination)
• Sets the deactivation date if applicable
• Establish that permit rights are non-exclusive, (other than timber authorized for harvesting within the clearing area)
• Link any timber harvesting under the permit with the cut control specifications and waste assessment requirements of specific agreements
• Identify the timber mark(s) for any timber harvested from the clearing area

A road permit is always associated with at least one agreement for cut control purposes, it is legally defined as a stand-alone agreement under section 12 of the Forest Act. A road permit can be cancelled upon deactivation, surrendered or transferred in accordance with the FA and FRPA.

Authority for industrial use

A road permit provides ongoing, non-exclusive authority for industrial use. The public and other industrial users can use a road that is under road permit. Other industrial users are required by legislation to give the road permit holder notice of use and to pay the road permit holder a reasonable cost for maintenance.

• Cutting Permit and Road Tenure Administration

For more information regarding Cutting Permits or Road Tenures and how to apply, please contact the associated Natural Resource District Office.