The BC Liberal government has completed its public consultation on the Working Forest, and will implement its Working Forest policy using existing planning tools, including regional land-use plans and the Provincial Forest.
July 29, 2004
The BC Liberal government has completed its public consultation on the Working Forest, and will implement its Working Forest policy using existing planning tools, including regional land-use plans and the Provincial Forest, Minister George Abbott announced today.
“Resource communities and the forest sector have told us they need a stable, sustainable forest harvest base to support investment and jobs for forest workers and their families,” Abbott said. “Just as we have parks and protected areas to preserve the special places in this province, we also need to protect the working land base, and the communities and thousands of families whose livelihood depends on forest use.
“At the same time, the public has clearly told us that we should approach our Working Forest goals in a way that is consistent with the hard work and planning that has already gone into existing initiatives, such as regional land and resource management plans (LRMPs) and the Provincial Forest. In many areas, LRMPs are the principal means by which certainty is achieved on the land base, and it’s important that Working Forest objectives for each region reflect these plans.”
Accordingly, the BC Liberal government has concluded that its Working Forest policy will be implemented by building on the basis of three existing tools:
LRMPs, which set out the land use priorities that will be used to establish the amount of forest land that will be available for timber harvest over the long term.
The longstanding Provincial Forest designation, which identifies the Crown lands outside of protected areas that are available not only for forestry uses, but also tourism, mining, energy, ranching and recreation, as well as conservation and wildlife habitat.
Innovative, science-based approaches, such as those successfully developed in the Cariboo-Chilcotin land-use plan over the past decade, which balance the full range of uses for timber lands to arrive at long-term timber area objectives.
The public consultation clearly showed that stakeholders share the goals of the Working Forest, Abbott said, which include:
Using sustainability as the governing principle in setting allowable forest harvest levels.
Maintaining British Columbia’s forest stewardship standards to protect water quality, biodiversity, fish and wildlife, recreation and other forest attributes.
Maintaining public ownership of Crown forest lands.
Respecting locally-developed land and resource management plans as the basis for long-term land use decisions.
British Columbia is almost 95 million hectares in size. Roughly five million hectares are privately owned, 12 million hectares are in parks or other protected areas, one million hectares are other federal lands and 75 million hectares are provincial Crown land outside of protected areas. Most of that area is legally designated as Provincial Forest, with 45 million hectares actually forested.
On lands that are available and accessible for timber use, sustainable harvest levels are set by British Columbia’s Chief Forester under the Forest Act. Less than one-third of one per cent of British Columbia’s total forest is harvested each year.
Abbott cited a recent report by Yale University professor Dr. Benjamin Cashore that found this province’s forest sustainability requirements to be among the most stringent in the world.
“The fact that we can reach our Working Forest objectives using existing policy and tools should reassure people that we will maintain all the standards and practices that make us a world leader in forest sustainability and land use planning,” Abbott said.
“This initiative builds on science-based strategic land use plans that will soon cover 85 per cent of British Columbia,” Abbott said. “It builds on the innovative work in forest management in the Cariboo-Chilcotin area over the last decade.”
It will take at least three years to complete the scientific research, analysis and consultation with First Nations and others, needed to extend area objectives to all the land use planning areas in the province, Abbott said. There are 18 plans in place, and six more nearing completion.
