Mosaic changing how it approaches recreation on Vancouver Island forest lands

Company owns 550,000 hectares of Vancouver Island forest land

Mosaic changing how it approaches recreation on Vancouver Island forest lands Published 4:30 pm Monday, July 13, 2026 Mosaic Forest Management, owner of 550,000 hectares of Vancouver Island’s forest, is revisiting how it will allow access to its lands for recreation. After receiving over 7,600 responses to its 2025 survey, and undergoing an internal evaluation of how the forestry company manages recreation on its lands, the Mosaic team has concluded that recreation “has outgrown the program built to manage it.” “The challenge is bigger than any single gate or policy, and there are opportunities to take a more intentional approach.

We are working on that foundation now,” CEO Duncan Davies wrote in his introduction to the report from the survey material. The first theme that emerged in the survey was access and risk. Generally, respondents said that access could feel limited and unpredictable, with unpredictable gate closures and unclear explanations driving that sentiment.

“They were not seeking unrestricted access, but a more flexible and predictable system they could understand, plan around and trust,” the report says, adding that limiting access is not the same as managing risk. The report also said that Mosaic would be looking at ways to be more intentional with recreation planning, as well as improving access agreements with clubs, organizations and other groups. In the near-term, there will be clearer information on the company’s website, access during statutory holidays (when possible), and greater consistency in operating hours.

The team is also looking at launching recreation pilots on both the North and South Island regions to “test designated access areas, build community and First Nations partnerships, and learn what works before scaling further.” “This program is not a commitment to open every gate or provide unrestricted access across our land base,” the report says. “The survey told us clearly that people value recreation opportunities and most understand the need for managed access — they simply want it to be more reliable, more consistent and better communicated.”

The full report is available on the Mosaic website.