In February 2021 the Professional Governance Act (PGA) was brought into force bringing several professional bodies under a single regulatory umbrella. Professional Foresters and Forest Technologists are included in the pool of registrants covered by the PGA.
Along with the enactment of the PGA, the definition of the practice of professional forestry was changed with the enactment of the Forest Professionals Regulation (FPR). The new definition defines the areas of ‘Reserved Practice’ of Professional Foresters and Forest Technologists. As a result of this new definition several sections of the Management Commitment form now fall under the definition of Reserved Practice.
To address this change, the Managed Forest Council has done the following:
- Adopted a new policy outlining the sections within a new or amended Management Commitment that are considered to fall under the areas of Reserved Practice
- Updated its Management Commitment and Management Commitment Amendment form to include a new signature block of the participating forest professional
The effect of this new policy is that a new Management Commitment or amendment to sections 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, or 11 of an existing Management Commitment will not be reviewed by Council staff unless it has been signed by a forest professional. This new policy is effective September 30, 2022.