Frequently Asked Questions
( Intended for general guidance only, not as an official interpretation of legislative or regulatory requirements)
Q. Who is responsible for the Registry of Buyers?
A.The registry and statistical returns regulations are administered by the Department of Natural Resources.
Q. Will my competitor find out information about my business?
A.The basic information i.e. name, address, etc. is public information. Confidentiality of individual statistical information is protected according to provincial regulations and policy.
Q. Why do I have to report?
A. The Registry of Buyers provides reliable data to help the public, business, and government understand wood demands and to estimate sustainable harvest levels. This will help determine long-term resource management needs and identify value-added opportunities for our forest products.
Q. I only cut five cords of firewood and 2 mfbm sawlog off my forested land for personal use. Do I have to register?
A.No. You do not need to register primary forest products that
are for personal use.
Q. How do I determine if I am required to be a registered buyer?
A. A registered buyer is a person or company who meets any of the following criteria:
- An owner or operator of a wood processing facility in the province of NS that processes primary forest products for commercial use.
- Exports primary forest products from NS.
- Imports primary forest products to NS.
- Acquires more than 1000 m3 solid (454 cords) per year of primary forest products as a fuel.
- Acquires primary forest products for producing energy.
Q. I have a portable mill and charge by the hour for services. Do I have to register?
A.Yes.
Q. Do I have to report if I cut the wood off my own land to sell?
A. If you export wood or made it into a secondary product then you must report. If you sold this wood to another processor, you do NOT have to report.
Q. My company has two mills but in different locations.
Do I register as one mill?
A.No. Although the name may be the same, each site must be registered, therefore, each site will have a different registration number. The reason is that if your company sells one site, this site will get a new registration number and will not affect your other site.s registration number.
Q. If I did not acquire any primary forest product in the last calendar year, should I report?
A. Yes, if you are a registered buyer you would check NONE on
form B, Statistical Return Part I, section number (35). Please keep
in mind that if you had inventory carried over from a previous year
and produced a secondary product, then you need to report this secondary
product in Form B, Part I and Form B, Part V.
Q. Occasionally I sell firewood to friends and neighbours. Do I have to register?
A. Only if you acquire more than 1000 m3 solid (454 cords)
of fuelwood in that calendar year.
Q. I sold stumpage to a contractor who cut the wood and sold it to a sawmill in Nova Scotia. Who reports?
A. The sawmill reports.
Q. Please summarize all the Forms and Parts.
A.
Form A: REGISTERED BUYER REGISTRATION FORM
Information from this form identifies all of the registered buyers. This basic information describes the buyer and fix a position for the site and provide a contact person. It is public information except for primary forest product demand.
Form B: STATISTICAL RETURN PART I
Information from this form will be public and describes the type of primary products acquired and secondary products generated.
Form B: STATISTICAL RETURN PART II
Information from this form will be reported only in aggregate form and is confidential. This information deals with primary forest products acquired for USE in Nova Scotia. One Form B, Part II must be filled in for each county, province, state or country where primary forest products are acquired.
Form B: STATISTICAL RETURN PART III
Information from this form will be reported in aggregate form and is confidential on a per registered buyer basis. This information deals with primary forest products acquired for EXPORT from Nova Scotia. One Form B, Part III must be filled in for each country, province, state or county where primary forest products are acquired.
Form B: STATISTICAL RETURN PART IV
Information from this form will be reported in aggregate form and is confidential on a per registered buyer basis. This information deals with EXPORT of primary forest products from Nova Scotia.
Form B: STATISTICAL RETURN PART V
Information from this form will be reported in aggregate form and is confidential on a per registered buyer basis. This information deals with the QUANTITY of secondary products produced.
Q. I own a mill and cut off my own land. Do I have to register?
A. Yes.
Q. How will the Registry produce faster results than the old Forest Protection Survey?
A. Reports will be generated 60 days after February 28. Buyers who are non-compliant and have not reported by February 28 will be placed on a published non-compliant list.
Q Should I keep a copy of my completed registration and statistical forms?
A. Yes.
Q. If I buy forested land or stumpage must I register?
A. No, standing trees are not considered a primary forest product.
Q. How does 1000 m3 solid relate to cords or mfbm?
A. 1000 m3 solid equals 454 cords which equals 177 mfbm which equals 1640 m3 (stacked).
Q. The primary forest products acquired are not in m3 solid, m3 stacked, cords, tonnes, mfbm, or lineal metres. What do I do?
A. You should contact your nearest Department of Natural Resources office for help on conversion factors.
Q. I bought 500 mfbm in log form from a mill in New Brunswick and used it in my mill. Do I have to report this?
A. Yes, report as import.
Q. Are Christmas trees a primary forest product?
A. No. These regulations do not apply to Christmas tree, wreath, or bough production.
Q. When do I have to report by?
A. On or before February 28 of the following calendar year.
Q. What kind of records do I have to keep?
A.You need to have available for inspection and examination by the Minister of Natural Resources appointee any records or documents required to confirm the information used in filling out forms.
Q. Should I record the primary forest product quantity before it is processed?
A. Yes. A truck scale is preferable to a mill scale.
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