Evaluation of forest land in British Columbia

The general increased demand for all types of land by various users has intensified the problem of estimating the value of forest land, and of attempting to bring about its best use. This thesis sets forth the theoretical conditions necessary for the optimum distribution of land resources, and analyses some of the barriers which exist in the real world, both in the market and in the sphere of public decision-making. Current methods of evaluating forest land in B.C. are reviewed. The varied reasons for an appraisal: investment, expropriation, condemnation, damage appraisal, taxation, comparative evaluation and transfer of tenure, effectively divide this portion of the study, and form a basis for comparison. Demands for forest land, singly and on a multiple-use basis can only be arbitrated by a supra government body recruited from a disinterested group of professional resource managers. It is imperative that this department be provided with the knowledge necessary to construct economic as well as technical priority scales, so that decisions can be rational, and lead toward the best use of the resource.