The final step in a $120-million investment into B.C.’s forestry sector by a West Kelowna family-owned forestry company has concluded, following the Minister of Forests’ official approval of a tenure transfer from Seattle-based Weyerhaeuser to Gorman Group.

“Gorman Group is investing in the future of forestry, investing in a new chapter for Princeton, and investing in the transformation of the community into a real forestry hub,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “This decision comes down to a simple principle: B.C.’s forests should deliver the greatest possible benefit to the people of B.C. By approving this tenure transfer, we are supporting a company that believes in value-added manufacturing, using every fibre to its fullest potential and keeping jobs here at home.”

Transferred tenures

The transferred tenures total approximately 682,000 cubic metres and consist of forty-six thousand hectares of tenure in Tree Farm Licence 59, near Oliver, providing more than 57,000 cubic metres of harvest per year, two replaceable forest licences in the Merritt timber supply area, providing more than 538,000 cubic metres of harvest per year, one replaceable forest licence in the Okanagan timber supply area, providing almost 87,000 cubic metres of harvest per year. 

The transferred tenures provide a dependable supply of logs at a reasonable cost, securing Gorman Group’s supply chain and value-added wood manufacturing business, and adds to Gorman Group’s existing tenure of approximately 734,000 cubic metres per year.