Professional forestry is a regulated profession, similar to engineering, chartered accounting, law, dentistry, and architecture. Like those professions, provincial legislation grants forest professionals specific practice rights. 

Under the authority of BC’s Professional Governance Act (PGA), only individuals registered and licensed by Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC) are allowed to practise professional forestry. This is to ensure protection of the environment and the public. 

There are several different registration categories for forest professionals in British Columbia, each with a different level of practice rights and requiring a different level of education. 

Categories With Full Practice Rights

Registered Professional Forester (RPF)

  • Education: Normally requires a four-year degree from a forestry program accredited by the Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board (CFAB) or an equivalent degree in a forestry or related field from a non-accredited post-secondary program. 
  • Practice Rights: Full scope of forestry practice. Practising RPFs are involved in all aspects of forest management such as strategic planning, timber supply, silviculture, forestry policy, ecology, wildfire, hydrology, etc. 
  • Can sign off on legal forestry documents (e.g., Forest Stewardship Plans) 

An RPF designation is the highest professional forestry designation in BC. 

Registered Forest Technologist (RFT)

  • Education: Two-year diploma in forest technology or natural resources. 
  • Scope: Work done by practising RFTs tends to be operational and specialized to on-the-ground fieldwork. RFTs are mainly involved in technical forest management activities, such as forest measurements, silviculture, forest operations, and forest protection, and are employed in a wide variety of positions, with an emphasis on the stand level, forest practices, practical skills, and operating within established guidelines. 
  • May perform limited professional practice or work under the supervision of an RPF.

Transferring Forest Professional (TFP)

  • A Transferring Forest Professional is an RPF or RFT registered in good standing in another Canadian jurisdiction and who transfers to BC and becomes registered with Forest Professionals BC (FPBC). 

Visiting Forest Professional (VFP)

  • Visiting Forest Professional designation is granted by Forest Professionals BC to a forest professional (RPF or RFT) registered in another jurisdiction (typically another Canadian province) to temporarily practise forestry in BC without becoming fully registered with FPBC. The VFP designation normally requires there to be a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between Forest Professionals BC and the VFP’s home-province regulator. 
  • Scope: the VFP designation only allows for specific activities and a timeframe approved in the application. 
  • Time-limited (typically a few months to a year). 

Associate Registrant – Limited Practice Rights

Natural Resource Professional (NRP)

  • Education: Degree in a related but non-forestry field (e.g., biology, environmental science). They often have a conservation or environmental science background.
  • Scope: May only engage in limited aspects of professional forestry; focuses on interdisciplinary or specialized work that has been approved by the Forest Professionals BC Board.
  • Can’t independently practise forestry or sign off on regulated forest activities

Affiliated Forest Professional (AFP)

There are two categories of Affiliated Forest Professionals: AFP-Academic Research and AFP-Limited Licence.

AFP–Academic/Research

A category for individuals who teach in the field of forest management and natural science at a post-secondary level, and/or undertake research relating to forest management and natural sciences related to forestry.

  • Education: PhD, MSc, or BSc in forestry or natural resource discipline and three to seven years of continuous teaching at the post secondary level or research experience with post-secondary institutions, government or industry.
  • Scope: No practice rights but may provide a forestry-related service under the direct supervision of an RPF, RFT, Visiting Forest Professional (VFP). AFPs can also apply for a Limited Licence to practise in a specific area.

AFP-Limited Licence 

A category for individuals working in forestry-related fields who may be at risk of infringing upon reserved practice of professional forestry. Limited licences permit registered forest technologists and other subclasses of associate registrant to practise in specific aspects of reserved professional forestry practice.

  • Education/Experience: successful completion of a natural resource or forestry related degree program or current, practising registration or equivalent with a profession regulated under the Professional Governance Act (PGA such as Professional Engineer (P.Eng), Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio), Professional Agrologist (PAg). Significant professional work experience directly related to the narrow area of reserve practice for which the AFP is requested is also required.
  • Scope: The Limited Licence allows the holder to perform activities in the regulated practice of professional forestry and specific activities within the reserved practice of professional forestry as authorized by FPBC.

Limited Licence (LL)  

Individuals who don’t have the educational requirements to become registered professionals but are deemed qualified to practise in a very limited area of professional forestry may apply for a Limited Licence. 

Education: Currently hold an RFT, AFP, NRP or forest technician designation and/or having the minimum education and/or experience or other qualifications established by the Forest Professionals BC Credentials Committee to the specific or limited aspect of forestry reserved practice applied for and acceptable to the Registrar and the Credentials Committee–Limited Licence Working Group. 

Scope: Ability to independently engage in one of: visual resource management, wildfire ecology, forest hydrology, or another specified or limited aspect of forestry reserved practice.  

Certifications

There are some regulated occupations within forestry that don’t require a university degree or college diploma. These are technical occupations that focus on a specific aspect of forestry. 

Accredited Timber Cruisers (ATC) 

  • Education: At least two years of field experience involving equipment knowledge, field procedures, field sampling and measurements. 
  • Scope: ATCs measure forests for the specific use of timber operations inventory, forest inventory, timber valuation, appraisal, and timber supply. ATCs work with minimal supervision and are responsible for supervising, training, and mentoring Compassers and Cruisers in Training (CITs). 

Accredited Timber Cruisers may only engage in forestry activities related to the areas of timber inventory, timber valuation, appraisal, and timber supply. 

Accredited Timber Evaluators (ATE) 

  • Education: At least five years of combined office and field experience involving equipment knowledge, field procedures, field sampling, and measurements as well as other demonstrated competencies such as organizing, training, quality assurance, and reporting of results. 
  • Scope: ATEs are Timber Cruisers whose job is to provide the best estimate of volume, quality, species composition, and value of the timber resource. An ATE is able to organize and conduct an entire timber cruise and is responsible for training, supervising, and auditing subordinates. An ATE practices aspects of professional forestry as stated in the limitation on practice as directed by Forest Professionals BC. 

Silvicultural Accredited Surveyors (SAS)  

Silvicultural Accredited Surveyors (SAS) are generally involved in forestry activities related to silviculture surveys. 

  • Scope: Planning, advising, engaging in and reporting on the measurement of forests for the specific use of silviculture surveys; examining and verifying measurements for the specific use of silviculture surveys

Trainees – Supervised Practice Rights Only

Individuals working to attain RPF or RFT designation are initially registered with Forest Professionals BC as a trainee. Trainees must only undertake forestry work under the supervision of a practising RPF or RFT. There are four specific trainee designations.

Foresters in Training (FIT)

Leads to practising RPF status. FIT registrants have completed a post-secondary degree from a CFAB accredited forestry program and are gaining work experience and working through the Forest Professionals BC articling process.

Allied Science Foresters-in-Training (ASFIT)

Leads to practising RPF status. ASFIT registrants have completed a post-secondary degree in forestry or a related field from a non-accredited post-secondary program. They are gaining work experience and are working through the FPBC articling process. ASFITs must also partake in the credential assessment process (CAP) administered by Forest Professional Regulators of Canada (FPRC). This may require them to undertake additional education to meet the entry-level competency set in the national 2021 Forestry Certification Standards for the practice of professional forestry in Canada.

Trainee Forest Technologist (TFT)

Leads to practising RFT status. TFT registrants have completed a recognized forest technology diploma, are gaining work experience and working through the Forest Professionals BC articling process.

Allied Science Trainee Forest Technologist (ASTFT)

Leads to practising RFT status. ASTFT registrants completed technology diplomas from an unrecognized/non-accredited diploma program or a foreign program in forestry or an allied discipline. They are gaining work experience and working through the Forest Professionals BC articling process. ASTFT registrants must also partake in the credential assessment process (CAP) administered by Forest Professionals BC. This may require them to undertake additional education to meet the Registered Forest Technologist Competency Standards.