Forestry

Business in the forestry industry is dynamic as the landscape constantly evolves. In pairing deep historical knowledge with forward-thinking insights, our Forestry team will help you adapt and prepare for the future.

Our comprehensive understanding of the forestry landscape is further enhanced by our group’s ability to provide a full-service approach to our forestry clients’ needs. Widely recognized as leaders in this sector, our legal team is fortified by expertise that spans a full range of skills and practices. Our team includes a registered professional forester and counsel who are experienced in dealing with a diverse and complex legal issues, including: mergers and acquisitions, Indigenous legal matters, environmental law, administrative procedures, corporate/commercial transactions, occupational health & safety and real estate matters.

We have assisted our forestry clients in matters spanning:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Stock exchange and securities law compliance, including corporate governance
• Mill acquisitions and dispositions
• Financings
• Joint ventures
• Timber and chip supply contracts
• Project construction and development
• Environmental assessment and permitting
• Compliance with forest practices and sustainability regulations and worker health and safety provisions 
• Waste management and pest control regulation
• Indigenous consultation and impact benefit agreements

Experience

Our experience includes:

• The merger by arrangement of two of Canada’s largest public forest products companies
• Acquisitions and dispositions by public and private forest companies of sawmilling facilities and forest tenures in both the interior and coastal regions of British Columbia
• Establishment and negotiation of long term debt facilities for major Canadian forest products companies
• Restructuring of long-term debt of a British Columbia pulp and newsprint producer
• Negotiation of joint venture arrangements for an OSB plant in northern British Columbia
• Negotiation of complex fibre supply contracts and sales agreements
• Structuring of debt financing for the acquisition of a U.S. recycled newsprint facility
• Representation of forest product companies in numerous compliance and enforcement actions relating to forestry, environment and worker health and safety
• Assisting in obtaining all required permits and completing environmental assessment procedures for an OSB plant in Northern British Columbia
• Negotiation of a memorandum of agreement for forestry activities in British Columbia with First Nations

Team