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mholtsbaum5

Are you allowed to pickup that driftwood?

I have been asked this question more times than I can count while out picking up wood or selling at one of the local markets. Invariably - its because the person asking was forced by a bylaw officer to return wood that they'd picked up. Here's the scoop. You can pick it up in BC - but there are rules that you must be aware of. The official rule is this...


"Wood that is above the high tide line on Crown land can be taken if it is for personal use only and will not be sold; is less than three metres long; is water-worn and has no bark on it; does not have a hammer mark or timber brand on it and is not within an ecological reserve, government park or on native land."


I'll also add that if you're out there with a chainsaw - you MUST cleanup any sawdust that's created - and you won't be allowed to bring a vehicle onto the foreshore.


The next part that I'm usually challenged with is the "will not be sold" piece. This means you aren't supposed to sell the raw wood. A quick online search though will show you lots of people doing this on Facebook Marketplace and Etsy - even though it isn't allowed. Technically, my work doesn't fall into this category though. I'm not selling raw driftwood - I'm personally using the pieces that I pickup to create something that I then sell. Its a fine line, but a meaningful one in this instance.


So - with this said - I'll see you out on the beaches with my shopping bags. Don't hesitate to stop and say Hello!






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