We can grant three types of special permits to engage in the practice of professional forestry in British Columbia on a temporary basis: (1)Limited Licences to practise; (2) permits for Transferring Professional Foresters (TPF); and (3) permits for Visiting Professional Foresters.

The application requirements and criteria set by the association ensure that permit holders are sufficiently qualified, experienced and competent to meet the standards of practice and of conduct expected of and by the profession.

As members of the association, all special permit holders are governed by the Foresters Act, the association's bylaws (including the Code of Ethics) and various association policies and procedures in force from time to time.

Limited Licence
You may qualify for a Limited Licence to practise if you do not have the educational requirements to become a forest professional but satisfy us that you meet the required standards to engage in certain limited aspects of professional forestry practice.

Requirements for a general limited Licence includes the following:

1. You must have a science degree in a discipline and from a university program approved by council; a diploma from a college program or other academic qualification approved by council; or have other qualifications acceptable to council.
2. You must have five (5) years of experience in forestry work satisfactory to council. The experience requirement may include up to a maximum of three (3) years spent in obtaining post secondary academic education acceptable to council. At least the last two (2) years experience must have been gained from working within the area of the practice of professional forestry to which the Limited Licence is to apply, one (1) year of which must have been within British Columbia.
3. You must supply four (4) references acceptable to council including at least two (2) from registered members.

Limited Licences are valid for the term issued and may be renewed at the discretion of council. View the Special Permit-Limited Licence Flowchart for more information. Complete details about Limited Licences are contained in Bylaw 5 and application forms found on the Applications Forms page of this website.

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Transferring Professional Foresters (TPF)
If you are a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) from another Canadian jurisdiction and not covered by the provisions of the Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), you may qualify for a special permit to practise in BC until such time as you pass the RPF registration exam and become an RPF in BC. Once enrolled as a TPF, you may be eligible to practise forestry under certain terms and conditions. More details about special permits for Transferring Professionals Foresters can be found in Bylaw 5.17 and on the Routes of Entry page.
Routes of Entry

Note: If you are a Registered Professional Forester or Forest Technologist from another Canadian jurisdiction and are covered by provisions of the Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) or Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), you can apply for recognition as Registered Professional Forester or Forest Technologist in BC and be entitled to full practice rights in BC. More information on transferring with full practice rights can be found the Transferring page.
Transferring

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Visiting Professional Foresters
If you are a professional forester visiting from a recognized jurisdiction outside BC, and you will be working in BC on a specific job for less than one year, you may qualify for a special permit.

Special permits for Visiting Professional Foresters are limited to the time required to undertake a specific task or project and do not normally exceed 12 months. As a Visiting Professional Forester, you may apply for one extension of the term of your special permit (prior to its expiration). Special permits for Visiting Professional Foresters may only be renewed once unless special circumstances can be demonstrated. Bylaw 5 provides more details regarding special permits for visiting professional foresters.

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Additional Resources
ABCFP Bylaws
Routes of Entry
Application Forms
Special Permit-Limited Licence Flowchart
Policies
Practice Guidelines
Transferring [under the Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement(TILMA) or Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) ]

More Information
Contact the registration department if you have any questions about special practice permits. [more]

Some of the above documents are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them. You can download Acrobat Reader here.