New management system for the forests seeks sustainability and viability

With the British Columbia forest industry suffering perhaps its most significant days of decline in recent memory, the provincial government is hoping that revisions to land resource management plans and a new management system will leave the forests stronger and more viable for dependent communities.

The Daily news featured details of Forest Minister Pat Bell’s thoughts on the Forestry as the new objectives come into force.

Allowable annual cut slashed as Bell looks to future
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, February 11, 2008
Pages one and three

On the same week that the province announced it had signed into law new objectives for eco-system-based management (EBM) objectives for forestry, B.C. continued to reduce the amount of timber available for harvest on the North and Central Coasts.

During the past two years, in an effort to achieve the objectives laid out under the Land Resource Management Plans for those areas, including EBM and establishing new conservancies (protected areas) the province has reduced the overall timber available for harvest in the regions by 22 per cent.

Yet, Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands said he believes the new management system will result in stronger local economies for communities.

“It ensures long-term sustainability and focuses on economic values to ensure that we have a viable forest industry and one that our First Nation partners can benefit from and build their communities on,” said Bell.

Bell made his statements at a celebration of the two-year anniversary of the signing of North and Central Coast land-use plans on Thursday.

While there was a lot of back slapping, there was no mention of the province’s decision in the recently-announced Coastal Forestry Plan to continue to allow 35 per cent of raw logs harvested on the North and Central Coasts to be exported without being offered to domestic log buyers, or the expansion of this order to include the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Nor was there any mention of the province’s own review of raw log exports, which stated the Eco-System Based Management practices necessitate the need to increase raw log exports from the region because tenure holders will need to export up to 50 per cent of hembal logs overseas where they will get a higher value.

Under last week’s announcements, the new allowable annual cut for tree farm licence 25 – including parts of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Central Coast communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu and areas around Campbell River - will be 529,000 cubic metres; a reduction of almost 10.000 cubic metres.

The new allowable cut accounts for conservancies (protected areas) established through the Central and North Coast Land Use decisions. The previous allowable annual cut for tree farm licence 25 was 625,500 cubic metres.

“This is a complex decision involving a tree farm licence that is spread across a large geographical area,” Craig Sutherland, deputy chief forester noted in issuing his determination.

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“Forest practices in the area are changing due to land-use planning decisions, and the implementation of ecosystem-based management. This cut level will ensure sustainability and the sound stewardship of coastal forests.”

Under the timber supply review, the chief forester or deputy chief forester determines how much wood can be harvested in each of the province’s 37 timber supply areas and 33 tree farm licences at least once every five years.

Last November, the allowable annual cut for the North Coast timber supply area was also reduced to 400,000 cubic metres, a reduction of more than 170,000 cubic metres since 2006 levels.

The province’s chief forester Jim Snetsinger said the reduction accounted for 24 conservancies established within the timber supply area in 2006 and 2007, as well as the impacts of applying ecosystem-based management and the conservancies are key elements of the province’s North and Central Coast land0use decision, announced in 2006.

Overall, it’s a 22 per cent reduction in harvest levels.

“The province has committed to full implementation of ecosystem-based management by March 2009 and additional protected areas within the North Coast TSA may be established,” said Snetsinger, at the time of the decision. “To ensure harvest levels are sustainable, I am prepared to review this cut determination earlier than five years if necessary.”