Employees

Timber Pricing Officer

Employee Name:

Ryan Hall

Title:

Timber Pricing Officer

Ministry:

Ministry of Forests and Range

Background:

Education: Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management (UNBC)
Member of the BC Public Service Since: 2007

My Role

As Timber Pricing Officer, I review and approve appraisal data submissions for stumpage rates, ensuring that the interior appraisal manual has been followed and providing interpretation of the Interior Appraisal Manual to both ministry and industry colleagues. We determine stumpage rates that contribute to over $400 million dollars in revenue each year.

Career Path:

I spent approximately 10 years in forestry consulting where I acquired extensive field experience in a broad range of forestry activities, as well as extensive project management and administrative skills. I decided to join the BC Public Service because I wanted flexibility in personal time, a balanced personal and working life and it was the chance to move into an organization that has a ton of potential for growth and advancement.

What I Like Best:

I like that there's opportunity for growth and advancement, as well as a balanced career and personal life. I work with a great team too. Responsibilities are given to step in and basically you are working on your own, but you have a good support system. This is something new for me; I've been exposed to a wide variety of things in the forestry industry before and this is another aspect to round off my knowledge. This brings it more to the appraisal side and revenue side rather than forest management.

Ideas At Work:

At this point in time, I am absorbing as much as I can from my new role; however, I feel that my past experience has given me a unique perspective to many of the situations and issues that I now face. We are determining rates so we have a direct impact on the amount of revenue taken in for the government. That will become even more important in the future as we move away from our current system into a market-based appraisal system.

Advice:

Take on new responsibilities whenever you can, even if it means getting in over your head. The best way to succeed and keep your career interesting is to continually challenge yourself. To become a Timber Pricing Officer, you will need a diploma or degree in forestry so that you can become and Registered Professional Forester. Getting a good background in basic forestry activities will go a long way in being able to understand what is included in an appraisal; timber cruising is a great place to start. It would be a lot tougher to get into my position without having any type of field background.