The information below outlines the application steps for registration as a trainee on the path to obtaining practising RPF, RFT, or NRP designation.

For information on how to apply for other categories such as Affiliated Forest Professional, Transferring Forest Professional, a Certificate for a Technical Occupation or Limited Licence, please check those specific web pages.

Individuals seeking to become a Registered Professional Forester (RPF), Registered Forest Technologist (RFT), or Natural Resource Professional (NRP), begin by applying for registration with Forest Professionals BC as a trainee. Once you are registered as a trainee, you must complete the Forest Professionals BC education program along with gaining supervised work experience.

Applying for registration as a trainee is a two-step process.

Step One: Eligibility Screening

Forest Professionals BC requires anyone applying for registration as a trainee to first undergo an eligibility assessment to assess your academic background and work experience.

The eligibility assessment requires a $50 non-refundable fee and must be paid online with a credit card.

Step Two: Submit Your Application for Registration as a Trainee

Once Forest Professionals BC confirms your eligibility, you have 12 months to submit an application for registration as a trainee. If you do not apply within 12 months, you will be required to re-submit your eligibility, pay a new assessment fee, and have your credentials re-evaluated.

How to Apply

Create an account in the Forest Professionals BC registrant portal

1. Go to the Forest Professionals BC registrant portal.
2. To create your account, you must provide your full name, birth date, residential address, and preferred contact information such as phone number and email address.
3. Provide details of your educational background such as degree or diploma, date when it was completed, name of the educational program, name of the educational institute, and country in which you completed your education.
4. Provide employment information including whether you are currently employed or unemployed.
5. Complete an Indictable Offence declaration. Indictable offences are the most serious of criminal offences such as murder, break and enter, theft over $5,000, assault, aggravated sexual assault, drug trafficking, and other serious criminal acts. Forest Professionals BC Bylaw 14 allows the Board to reject an application for registration from anyone who has been convicted of an indictable offence or such other serious criminal offence.

Once you have completed the above steps, you can also complete and submit the eligibility assessment form or you can log out and return to complete the assessment form at a later date.

Completing and submitting the online eligibility assessment form

1. Go to your Forest Professionals BC account in our registrant portal.
2. Determine Your Pathway.

Choose which category of registration you want to pursue based on your education and experience:

*CFAB is the national body in Canada that accredits university-level forestry degree programs. If your degree is accredited by CFAB, it meets the academic standards required for professional forester registration (e.g., RPF) across all Canadian provinces. 

Next:

1. Upload a current resume outlining all education and work experience you have completed to date. 
2. Upload a copy of a pre-screening based on the Forest Professional Regulators of Canada’s (FPRC) pre-screening tool. This pre-screening tool asks a series of questions about your education and forestry-related work experience. Based on the information you provide, a synopsis of how your competencies will likely be evaluated is provided. This synopsis is not the completed assessment of your eligibility to apply for registration with FPBC. 
3. Upload a copy of your unofficial transcript containing diploma/degree conferred date, program name, and institute name.  
4. For internationally trained graduates, you must undergo an Education Credential Assessment of your completed academic programs by a third-party agency, such as World Education Services, International Credentials Evaluation Service (ICES), or International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS), and have them send FPBC the complete report. The Education Credential Assessment must be a course-by-course assessment.
5. you must submit an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) from an approved provider such as WES, ICES, or IQAS, along with the appropriate Course Evaluation and Summary Form. 
6.  If you are applying as an allied science applicant (ASFIT or ASTFT), you must provide a Course Evaluation and Summary Form.  
7. Pay the $50 eligibility screening fee. The fee must be paid online with a credit card. Be sure to save your credit card in your profile. This card will be used to pay your trainee application fee if you are deemed eligible for registration. 

Applications for eligibility are reviewed regularly. Processing of all applications begins upon their receipt.  

Once your eligibility is confirmed, return to the Forest Professionals BC portal to complete your online trainee application form. 

If you have not heard from us in four to six weeks with an update on the status of your application, please contact us at admissions@fpbc.ca. 

Completing and Submitting the Online Trainee Application Form

Once Forest Professionals BC determines if you are eligible for registration as a trainee, return to your profile in the FPBC registrant portal and complete the online trainee application.

Find a Sponsor

Forest Professionals BC requires you to identify an individual who is willing and authorized to sponsor you as a trainee:

• if you are applying to become an RPF, your sponsor must also be an active and practising RPF; or
• if you are applying to become an RFT or NRP, your sponsor can be an active and practising RPF or RFT.

Your sponsor will mentor you through the training period and supervise your professional forestry work experience.

If you have difficulties in finding a sponsor, please contact admissions@fpbc.ca with your residential area.

Police Background Check

As part of its public protection mandate, FPBC applies due diligence when confirming the identity of applicants seeking admission to the profession. All new FPBC applicants must upload a complete, recent police information checks (PIC) with their application. If you have not completed a PIC with myBackCheck.com before, use this link to create your account. You will automatically be assigned with Association of BC Forest Professionals, the legal name of Forest Professionals BC. If you have completed a PIC with myBackCheck.com within the past six months, log in through the link above and select your record to be sent to Forest Professionals BC. Police information checks completed more than six months ago are not accepted.

Official Transcripts

You must arrange for the post-secondary institute where you completed your education to send official transcripts directly to Forest Professionals BC. Official transcripts can be mailed via Canada Post or emailed as a digital file to Forest Professionals BC.

Paper transcripts should be mailed to:

Registration Department
Forest Professionals BC
602 – 1281 W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC V6E 3J7

Digital transcripts should be emailed to admissions@fpbc.ca.

Fees

You must provide a credit card when submitting your application to pay the application fee online. This card should be saved in your profile, as it will also be used to pay the pro-rated registration fee upon approval. The application fee will be charged to your credit card on submission of your application for registration. Once your application is approved, the pro-rated registration fee will be charged to the same credit card.

Questions

If you have any questions, contact admissions@fpbc.ca.