CPD Frequently Asked Questions

Under the Professional Governance Act, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is mandatory for all practising RPF and RFT registrants.

The requirements for CPD are detailed in FPBC Bylaw 10. Specifics of CPD are:

  • all RPF and RFT registrants must complete 30 hours of CPD annually;
  • CPD hours must be declared during your registration renewal;
  • CPD hours must be entered and tracked in the FPBC CPD online tracking tool
  • 30 hours of CPD must be completed and logged in the FPBC CPD tracking tool by November 30 of each year.

No. Unreported CPD hours can’t be carried over from one year to the next. The CPD Reporting Year is December 1 to November 30 (Bylaw 10-1 (1)) coinciding with the FPBC fiscal year and registration renewal deadline.

If you do not accumulate and report 30 CPD hours in the online Reporting Tool by November 30, you will be considered ‘non-compliant,’ (Bylaw 10-2(1)a) resulting in the following:

  1. You will receive a non-compliance notification;
  2. The Registrar will notify the Audit and Practice Review committee; and
  3. The Audit and Practice Review committee may direct the Registrar to issue a notice of non-compliance requiring you to pay a late fee or complete any outstanding CPD requirements (Bylaw 10-2(2)).

There are three areas of acceptable learning in the new CPD program:

  1. Professional practice area competencies;
  2. Professional competencies (professional competencies (professional reliance, FPBC Bylaws, Indigenous reconciliation, Code of Ethical and Professional Conduct, and forest stewardship); and
  3. Interpersonal competencies.

Informal learning, or any learning that is not in a traditional classroom or online course, is acceptable in the new CPD program. This includes a broad range of learning activities from podcasts to practice-based conversations with other professionals.

The FPBC employs a 1:1 ratio for any learning activity. In other words, a registrant can report one CPD hour, or any portion of an hour, for an hour (or any portion of an hour) spent learning.

Sessions held as part of the FPBC annual forestry conference, including the AGM, are legitimate CPD activities. Conference sessions include the reportable CPD hours, learning outcomes, and relevant professional practice area(s). Areas of the conference not eligible for CPD credits are the Award Winners and Inductees recognition events.

You do not have to engage in or report CPD if you are on a Leave of Absence with the FPBC. The CPD requirements are for practicing RPF and RFT registrants only (Bylaw 10-1(2)).

The CPD reporting requirements are for practising RPF and RFT registrants only (Bylaw 10-1(2))

The audit and practice review committee (APRC) determines if a CPD non-compliance occurs at the end of each CPD year (November 30), under Bylaw 10.  A registrants category/subcategory (Bylaw 5) is part of the information the Audit and Practice Review Committee (APRC) will consider for assessing CPD compliance.

However, special and unique circumstances will also be considered.  FPBC staff will contact registrants who did not submit a CPD report or reported fewer than 30 qualifying hours at the end of each CPD year to help inform the APRC about circumstances which may have contributed to the CPD non-compliance.

Again, this work occurs at the end of the CPD year and will consider information provided by a registrant in addition to the registration category or subcategory upon registration renewal.

(Note: prorated qualifying hours are rounded to the nearest whole number).

If you have questions about the CPD Program and related Bylaws, email CPDhelp@abcfp.ca.

You can edit an entry in the CPD Reporting Tool by clicking on the grey edit (pencil) icon on the far right of the table.