Provincial legislation requires anyone practising professional forestry in BC be registered with, and regulated by, Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC). The path to attaining registration with FPBC involves multiple steps and varies depending on your education background and the registration category you seek to obtain. 

For most people seeking to become a Registered Professional Forester (RPF), Registered Forest Technologist (RFT), or Natural Resource Professional (NRP), the process begins by submitting an Eligibility Assessment application to confirm they have the required educational background to apply for registration with Forest Professionals BC.  

When eligibility is confirmed, you have one year to apply for registration with Forest Professionals BC as a trainee on a path towards obtaining an RPF, RFT, or NRP designation. 

Once registered as a trainee, you must complete the Forest Professionals BC education and articling program along with gaining work experience. 

Forest Professionals BC also offers an Affiliated Forest Professional (AFP) designation. This is a sub-category of associate registrant, enabled by FPBC bylaws under the Professional Governance Act (PGA). The AFP designation is available for individuals with professional experience or existing competencies related to professional forestry and who are primarily engaged as academics, instructors, or researchers. 

Under various Canadian labour mobility agreements, forest professionals (RPFs or RFTs) registered in other Canadian provinces can apply for registration with Forest Professionals BC under the Transferring Forest Professional category. 

 There are also some regulated occupations within forestry that don’t require a university degree or college diploma: Accredited Timber Cruiser (ATC), Accredited Timber Evaluator (ATE), Silviculture Accredited Surveyor (SAS), and Limited Licence. These are considered technical occupations and are detailed in FPBC Bylaw 6.