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The Association of BC Forest Professionals is responsible for registering and regulating British Columbia's professional foresters and forest technologists. Here in BC, the practice of professional forestry has been regulated since 1947 when foresters first agreed to help protect the public's interest in the province's forests in return for the exclusive right to practise forestry. Today, we are the largest professional forestry association in Canada and the first to include forest technologists.
Our Mandate
Pursuant to the Foresters Act, the practice of professional forestry is a regulated activity in British Columbia. In simplest terms, the Foresters Act defines the practice of professional forestry, establishes the Association of BC Forest Professionals, stipulates that one must be a member of the ABCFP to engage in the practice of professional forestry and, charges the association with the administration of the Foresters Act and vests all authority to govern the association in its council.
Section 4 of the Foresters Act sets out the duties and objects of the association as follows:
| 1. It is the duty of the association |
| a) |
to serve and protect the public interest, |
| b) |
to exercise its powers and functions, and to perform its duties under this Act, and |
| c) |
to enforce this Act. |
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| 2. The objects of the association are the following: |
| a) |
to uphold the public interest respecting the practice of professional forestry by |
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i) |
ensuring the competence, independence, professional conduct and integrity of its members, and |
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ii) |
ensuring that each person engaged in the practice of professional forestry is accountable to the association |
| b) |
to advocate for and uphold principles of stewardship of forests, forest lands, forest resources and forest ecosystems, |
| c) |
to govern its members in accordance with this Act, the bylaws and the resolutions, |
| d) |
to establish, monitor and enforce standards of education and qualifications for enrolment, registration and continued membership in the association, |
| e) |
to establish, monitor and enforce codes of conduct and standards of practice for its members, |
| f) |
to create and administer voluntary certification schemes for technical occupations related to the practice of professional forestry. |
Our Vision
Consistent with the mandate, the following vision statement was reviewed and confirmed to guide association actions:
| We lead the way to diverse, healthy and sustainable forests in British Columbia. |
Our Mission
The following mission statement for the association was also reviewed and confirmed:
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Our mission is to ensure British Columbia has qualified forest professionals and to support them in providing excellence in forest stewardship. |
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Our Members
We have grown from ten charter members in 1947
to more than 5,400 members today.
| Year |
Total
Number
of Members* |
| 1949 |
128 |
| 1959 |
327 |
| 1969 |
701 |
| 1979 |
1,372 |
| 1989 |
2,583 |
| 1999 |
3,948 |
| 2009 |
5,586 |
| 2010 |
5,456 |
* Not including those on leave of absence
Faces of Forestry Booklets
Our Faces of Forestry booklets feature pictures and members' comments about careers in forestry and what they enjoy most about their jobs. The original Faces of Forestry booklet was produced in 2007 to celebrate members during our 60th anniversary. In 2009, we published a second version featuring some of our Aboriginal members.
Faces of Forestry  (1.8 MB)
Aboriginal Faces of Forestry (2.7 MB)
Additional Resources
ABCFP Bylaws
Policies
Practice Guidelines
Annual Reports
Strategic Plan
BC Forest Information
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©2006
Association of BC Forest Professionals | ABCFP Store | Links | Glossary |
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