Silvicultural contracting in British Columbia

Abstract

Over the past eight decades, British Columbia's silvicultural programs have gone through three stages: initiation, establishment and development. For a long time, silviculture was a minor activity associated with timber harvesting, and the formation of silviculture as a distinct sector did not take place until the late 1960s. Shifts in societal values and changes in public expectations concerning forest management contributed to changes in B.C.'s forestry institutions that, in turn, altered the structure of silviculture programs. Especially since the 1980s, expansion in the scope and scale of silvicultural activities transformed contractual relationships. This paper profiles the contractual structure of B.C.'s silviculture sector. Results of a survey of contractors indicate that seed orchards, forest nurseries and companies holding timber tenures on public land economize on transaction costs by choosing appropriate organizational and contractual forms in accordance with identifiable attributes of silvicultural activities and firms' characteristics.