Apply for a commercial timber harvesting licence

To harvest fuel wood or timber to sell, you need 2 documents:

• a licence; and
• a cutting permit.

Licences

A licence gives you the right to harvest timber commercially in a specific area. There are 2 types of licences, depending on what kind of timber you want to harvest.

• To harvest firewood, apply for a fuel wood licence.
• To harvest timber other than firewood, apply for a timber resource licence.

Fuelwood licences can have a term of up to 5 years. Timber resource licences can have a term of up to 10 years.

Cutting permit

A cutting permit tells you:

• how much wood you can harvest; and
• where in the licence area you can harvest.

Cutting permits can have a term of up to 3 years.

Eligibility

• You must have a valid Yukon business registration number or proof of exemption.
• Your business must be in good financial standing with the Forest Management Branch.
• The area you're harvesting must be in an approved timber harvest plan. Contact the Forest Management Branch to discuss current or new timber harvest plans.
  • In person: Mile 918.07 Alaska Highway, Whitehorse, Yukon. Our office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
  • Email: forestry@yukon.ca
  • Phone: 867-456-3999 or toll-free in the Yukon 1-800-661-0408 and ask to be transferred.

Apply

1. Complete the applicable licence application form. You can also pick up a form at any Compliance, Monitoring and Inspections offices.
   • Fuelwood application
   • Timber resource application
2. Submit your completed application at your local Compliance, Monitoring and Inspections office.
3. Pay a non-refundable application fee. The amount depends on the volume of timber you apply for.
   • Under 100 cubic metres: $10
   • 100 to 1,000 cubic metres: $50
   • Over 1,000 cubic metres: $100

If you're applying for a new licence, we'll issue a cutting permit at the same time as the licence.

If you already have a licence and only need a cutting permit, apply with the harvest authority request form. You can also use this form to amend, renew or cancel your licence and permit.

Application timeline

Before we approve a licence, there's a public and First Nations notification period of at least 30 days. During this time, anyone interested can submit comments relevant to your application. Other factors that might affect the application timeline include:

• the availability of timber;
• the time needed to develop a new timber harvest plan;
• the applicable environmental assessment; and
• your own business’s eligibility.

Approval

Once we approve your application, we’ll issue your licence and cutting permit. When that happens, you’ll need to pay a:

• stumpage rate per cubic metre; and
• security deposit for each new licence you apply for. The deposit will be at least $100 and could be more if you've had compliance issues in the past.

Find out more about paying your wood-cutting stumpage fee and security deposits.