B.A. Blackwell and Associates

What B.A. Blackwell and Associates does

B.A. Blackwell and Associates (operating as Blackwell Consulting Ltd.) is a privately held Canadian forestry and environmental consulting firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The firm provides professional consulting services across wildfire management, forest management, forest ecology, urban forestry, environmental management, expert testimony, timberland valuation, GIS/cartography, bioenergy, and infrastructure development to federal, provincial, and municipal government agencies, First Nations, forestry industry clients, utilities, and tourism operators. Notable project scale includes wildfire risk assessment for BC Hydro covering 19,000+ km of transmission lines across 113,000 km², over 150 Community Wildfire Protection Plans, 180+ FireSmart assessments in Metro Vancouver, and Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping baselines on more than 8 million hectares in British Columbia.

The firm's core technology platform is the proprietary Wildfire Risk Management System (WRMS), a GIS-based geospatial modeling methodology that integrates historical fire data, fuel types, weather records, and infrastructure maps to generate spatial probability and consequence-of-risk mapping for prioritizing wildfire risk reduction. Blackwell also contributed to the Head Fire Intensity Layer used in BC's Provincial Strategic Threat Analysis (PSTA) and supports BC Fire Weather Zones and Alberta's Wildfire Management Planning Standard. The firm operates with traditional deterministic modeling tools (BurnP3, Prometheus, FARSITE, FlamMap, US Behave Plus, CFFBPS) combined with senior associate expertise from a team that includes Registered Professional Foresters, Biologists, ISA Certified Arborists, and PhD-level specialists.

The business model is fee-for-service professional consulting, with revenue derived from project-based engagements ranging from short assessments to multi-year contracts with government, private sector, First Nations, and not-for-profit clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is based on project scope, complexity, and duration. The firm employs 11-50 staff (six senior associates plus professional, technical, and administrative personnel) with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or public offering. GTM is sales-led and reputation-driven, leveraging thought leadership, case studies, professional networks, media coverage, and client relationships built over multiple decades, with no resellers, distributors, or digital channels.

Name

B.A. Blackwell and Associates

Legal name

Blackwell Consulting Ltd.

Website

https://bablackwell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

B.A. Blackwell and Associates is a B.C.-based forestry and environmental consulting firm founded in 1988, providing wildfire management, ecosystem mapping, and urban forestry services to government, First Nations, and utilities across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental & Forestry Consulting Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Management & Silviculture Services (Cruising, Planning, Compliance) (IMAMAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services (IMAMAAAH), Timberland Brokerage & Acquisition/Disposition Advisory (AFAMAKAB), Timberland & Forest Asset Management (IMAMAJAA)

Keywords

• Forestry consulting services
• Wildfire risk management
• Terrestrial ecosystem mapping
• Urban forestry planning
• Environmental impact assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements providing forestry and environmental management services to government, private sector, First Nations and not-for-profit clients. Projects range from small assessments to large multi-year contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

B.A. Blackwell and Associates (operating as Blackwell Consulting Ltd.) is a Canadian forestry and environmental consulting firm that delivers professional services across wildfire management, forest management, forest ecology, urban forestry, environmental management, bioenergy, timberland valuation, GIS/cartography, expert testimony, and infrastructure support. The firm combines deep forestry expertise with proprietary tools such as the Wildfire Risk Management System (WRMS) and extensive Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) baselines to serve government, First Nations, private sector, and not-for-profit clients.

Product overview

B.A. Blackwell and Associates is a forestry and environmental consulting firm offering professional consulting services rather than a unified software platform. The company's portfolio consists of distinct service offerings organized around core competencies: wildfire management (encompassing Wildfire Risk Management System, Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, hazard assessments, and fuel management prescriptions), forest management (including forest health assessments, silviculture, and timberland services), ecological services (Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping, environmental impact assessment), urban forestry, GIS and spatial analysis, bioenergy consulting, expert testimony, and utility infrastructure support. The Wildfire Risk Management System serves as the firm's flagship technology platform for geospatial wildfire risk assessment. Services are delivered through a team of professional foresters, ecologists, and GIS specialists rather than a software-as-a-service model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wildfire Risk Management System (WRMS) A proprietary GIS-based geospatial modeling methodology that identifies the probability and consequence of wildfire to key values-at-risk, helping clients prioritize wildfire risk reduction activities. It integrates historical fire data, fuel types, weather records, and infrastructure maps to generate spatial risk mapping.
• Forest Management Services Sustainable planning, operational decisions, and regulatory compliance for woodlot, community, public, and private forest management clients. Includes silviculture, timberland operations, and operational planning audits.
• Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans (CWRPs) Comprehensive professional planning support for municipalities, regional districts, and First Nations communities in all stages of wildfire risk reduction projects.
• Wildfire Hazard Assessments and Modeling Wildfire behavior modeling and hazard assessment services using industry-standard tools including BurnP3, Prometheus, FARSITE, FlamMap, US Behave Plus, and the Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour Prediction System.
• Fuel Management Prescriptions Practical, ecologically sound fuel management prescriptions for complex sites across coastal and interior ecosystems, including cultural fire and prescribed burn prescriptions.
• Forest Health Assessments Aerial and ground forest health surveys, including annual surveys for the BC Ministry of Forests and custom assessments for Metro Vancouver Watersheds and Metro Parks.
• GIS and Spatial Analysis Services Professional consulting and technical services in digital mapping, GIS applications, and spatial analysis, including spatial data capture, editing, LiDAR processing, and custom application development.
• Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) Comprehensive ecosystem assessments and terrestrial ecosystem mapping using the BC biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) system, including work for the Great Bear Rainforest Order.
• Urban Forestry Services Tree risk assessments, species management, urban greenspace planning, wildfire hazard DPA assessments, and urban forest strategies for municipal and private clients.
• Expert Opinion and Testimony Professional analysis and independent review for forestry, wildfire, and environmental matters in regulatory or legal contexts, including testimony in Supreme Court of B.C. and the Specific Claims Tribunal.
• Bioenergy Consulting Biomass energy evaluation and implementation, financial modeling for woodlands and pellet production plant feasibility, and carbon offsetting planning and analysis.
• Timberland Acquisition and Divestiture Land valuation, transaction strategy, and due diligence for forest land purchases and sales, using discounted cash flow analysis and market sales comparisons.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental baseline studies, monitoring plans, policy review and development, and public stakeholder consultation for resource projects.
• Utility Infrastructure Services Environmental, forestry, and wildfire risk expertise for gas and electrical utility infrastructure projects, including route selection, vegetation management, and wildfire resilience planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wildfire risk mapped along 19,000+ km of lines covering 113,000 km² for BC Hydro
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Western Forest ProductscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Blackwell supported Huu-ay-aht First Nations in negotiating a limited partnership with Western Forest Products to obtain a 28% share of the woodlands operation. In 2019, Huu-ay-aht became partners in C'awak 'qin Forestry (meaning 'We are One') managing operations of TFL 44LP with Western Forest Products.
• Atticus Financial (Reg Renner)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackwell collaborates with Atticus Financial for bioenergy sector services, utilizing unique experiences and professional networks drawing from technical and field experience in biomass energy evaluation, financial modeling for woodlands and pellet production plant feasibility.
• Cheakamus Community ForestsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheakamus Community Forest is a partnership between the Squamish Nation, Lil'wat Nation, and Resort Municipality of Whistler. Jeff Fisher served as President/Board Chair and Blackwell provides forestry planning and supervision support.
• Nanwakolas CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackwell has provided timber and tenure valuations in support of Nanwakolas Council for treaty land, tenure acquisitions, and other business affairs since 2009.
• BC Wildfire ServicecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with BC Wildfire Service on provincial datasets including the BC Provincial Strategic Threat Analysis (PSTA), BC Fire Weather Zones, and development of the Head Fire Intensity Layer.
• Parks CanadasupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTerrestrial Ecosystem Mapping work completed for Great Bear Rainforest under terms of the Great Bear Rainforest Order, including R-Level TEM mapping for nine consecutive years.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec Inc. Global engineering, environmental, and infrastructure consultancy with a forestry and environmental management practice in Western Canada. Overlaps with Blackwell on environmental assessment and infrastructure wildfire work, but offers much broader multi-disciplinary scale.
• Environmental Resources Management (ERM): World's largest pure-play environmental consultancy with a Canadian presence; competes for environmental impact assessment, ecological services, and infrastructure permitting work that Blackwell also serves.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with environmental services and wildfire risk practices serving utilities and governments. Overlaps on utility wildfire vulnerability assessments and large environmental projects.
• WSP Global Inc. International professional services firm with significant Canadian environmental, forestry, and infrastructure capabilities. Competes for larger utility and government wildfire/infrastructure engagements and has the scale to underprice Blackwell on multi-disciplinary bids.

Regional players

• BGC Engineering Inc. Canadian geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy with Western Canadian roots; overlaps on environmental assessment and natural hazard work, including some wildfire-related risk studies for infrastructure clients.

Direct peers

• Forsite Consultants Ltd. Western Canada-based forestry and natural resource management consulting firm offering similar silviculture, forest health, GIS, and timberland advisory services to government, First Nations, and private clients. Highly comparable in scope, geography, and customer mix to B.A. Blackwell.
• Hatfield Consultants: BC-based environmental and natural resource consulting firm with overlapping environmental assessment, monitoring, and ecosystem services. Comparable in regional presence and government/Indigenous client mix.
• Brinkman & Associates Reforestation Ltd. Western Canadian silviculture, reforestation, and forest management services provider serving government and industry across BC and Alberta. Comparable in core forestry operations and customer base.
• Diamond Head Consulting Ltd. British Columbia-based forestry and natural resource consulting firm delivering forest management, wildfire, and tenure services to government and Indigenous clients. Directly comparable niche, geography, and service portfolio to Blackwell.

Emerging players

• Arbour Ecological Services: Smaller BC-based ecological consulting firm providing ecosystem mapping, environmental assessment, and restoration services. Partial overlap with Blackwell's forest ecology and TEM offerings in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bruceblackwell1
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b-a-blackwell-and-associates-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about B.A. Blackwell and Associates