British Columbia’s Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson applauded today’s decision of the Legislative Assembly to form a Special Committee on Timber Supply to examine and make recommendations about mid-term timber supply in British Columbia, as a result of the...
British Columbia's public dispute on Sustainable Forest Management
Are British Columbia's forests well managed?
by Anthony Britneff, 2011
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How to solve public disputes on forests?
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In British Columbia, a dispute continues over just how sustainably managed are British Columbia’s publicly owned forests covering some 55 million hectares of the province, which is 94 million hectares in size.
At the heart of this dispute is the extent of productive forestland disturbed by wildfires, wind, diseases and insects that is not stocked with trees.
Over the last decade, some 17.5 million hectares of lodgepole pine forests have been infested by the mountain pine beetle. The beetle infestation has not been confined to mature forests but has also affected immature pine forests.
Over that same decade, British Columbia has seen some of the worst years for wildfire in recorded history with over a million hectares having been denuded by wildfire.
With an inventory that is over 15 years old for much of the province, questions are being asked about the provincial extent of the not stocked area, which has implications for the rate of harvest, for carbon accounting, for sustainable forest management, and for forest certification.
With the forests ministry unable to generate a province-wide not-stocked area from its forest inventory and with wildly different estimates of the extent of the not stocked area being made by foresters in the media *, the public’s watchdog, the Forest Practices Board, has initiated a special investigation to clarify the status of British Columbia’s not stocked lands. The Board's special report is expected to be released early in 2012. The terms of reference are posted at:
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You might be interested in reading this small booklet by Ben Parfitt as well
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About the author:
Anthony Britneff, retired after 39 years of public service with the B.C. Forest Service is still worrying about British Columbia’s forests and is therefore a valiant champion of the sustainable management of forests of his homeland.
Anthony Britneff, retired after 39 years of public service with the B.C. Forest Service is still worrying about British Columbia’s forests and is therefore a valiant champion of the sustainable management of forests of his homeland.
British Columbia Auditor General John Doyle has released his latest report, An Audit of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ Management of Timber.
Nearly two-thirds of British Columbia’s 95 million hectares is forested. These forests contribute to employment, tourism and recreational opportunities, as well as generate significant revenue for government to finance public services. However, trends indicate that the future availability of timber will be smaller and less diverse, putting future revenue opportunities at risk. Stewardship responsibility for these forest resources lies with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Confidential report warns pine beetle set to destroy B.C. forestry jobsThe full, devastating impact of the pine-beetle epidemic that has swept across British Columbia will be felt in the next few years when up to half the forest-industry jobs in the province’s interior will vanish, according to a government report meant to be confidential. You can download the report here (other sources of the report: The Globe and Mail, internal) The document, a briefing report for the provincial Forests minister, was inadvertently posted on the internet. It gives details on the unfolding timber supply crisis that threatens “the short and medium-term sustainability” of communities that have depended on logging for generations.
The Government of British Columbia: Mid-Term Timber Supply Project
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You may draw your attention to this site as well: Healty forests and healthy communities - A conversation on BC Forests
British Columbia's dispute on Sustainable Forest Managment (SFM)
New committee formed in British Columbia to examine mid-term timber supply
Leaked Cabinet document reveals how far government was willing to go
When I was home during the Easter break I caught wind that the government was contemplating a “Burns Lake Recovery Act,” legislation designed to guarantee a log supply for Burns Lake to ensure Hampton Affiliates would rebuild the mill that burned down in January. Industry representatives told me...
Province considers 'option' of over-riding chief forester to supply mills with timber
A leaked Ministry of Forests document reveals a proposal that the B.C. government override the top official charged with managing the province's forests to find a timber supply for Burns Lake. The forestry-dependent town west of Prince George lost its main employer in a December fire that destroyed...
Canada, External News, Kanada, Nachhaltige Forstwirtschaft, Nachhaltige Waldwirtschaft, Sägeindustrie, SFM, Sustainable forest management, Papier- und Zellstoffindustrie, Forest products, Plattenindustrie, British Columbia's public dispute on Forests, Woodworking industry, Saw milling industry, Pulp- and Paperindustry, Panel Industry, Boardindustry
British Columbia: Mid-Term Timber Supply Project
In response to concerns expressed by local communities, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations staff have been analyzing potential opportunities to increase timber supply. A draft summary of detailed technical analyses for the Lakes, Prince George, Quesnel and Williams Lake...
B.C. plan would open Interior’s protected woods for logging
Old-growth forests, wildlife corridors and other long-protected timber zones in the British Columbia Interior could be opened up to logging in order to keep mills operating, according to a cabinet document detailing a proposal under consideration by the provincial government. The document, stamped...
Power Grab Eyed by Clark Gov't to Set Logging Levels
A leaked provincial cabinet document indicates that the provincial government is contemplating "suspending" the powers of one of its most powerful public servants in order to expedite a controversial logging program that has raised alarm bells in the professional forestry community.
Thousands of forestry jobs on the line in central British Columbia
A confidential report was leaked this week indicating the British Columbia government is expecting north-central B.C. to lose 32% – 67% of its timber supply due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic without a mitigation plan.
Opposition mounts to government talks on opening forest reserves to loggers
The B.C. government is holding talks with the forest industry over ways to supply more timber to beetle-hit Interior sawmills, including the option of opening forest reserves that have until now been out of bounds to loggers.
Confidential report warns pine beetle set to destroy B.C. forestry jobs
The full, devastating impact of the pine-beetle epidemic that has swept across British Columbia will be felt in the next few years when up to half the forest-industry jobs in the province’s interior will vanish, according to a government report meant to be confidential. The document, a briefing...
A Shocking Glimpse of BC's New Forest Plan
For more than a quarter century, logging companies at the government's blessing have been on a tear through British Columbia's expansive interior forests. In the name of "salvaging" economic value from forests attacked by mountain pine beetles, beginning with a smaller outbreak centered in the...
British Columbia releases new Forest Sector Strategy
British Columbia released its Forest Sector Strategy today. Titled “Our Natural Advantage, Forest Sector Strategy for British Columbia”, the strategy aims to build upon the report of the Working Roundtable on Forestry to support a more vibrant sector that supports employment in every part of the...
Logging in forest reserve areas within MPB epidemic area
Honorable Steve Thomson Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations PO Box 9071 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC, V8W 9E9 Honorable Pat Bell Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation P.O. Box 9049, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Panic in the government should not descend into head-over-heels panic
Minister Bell Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Dear Minister Bell, There are many reasons why what the Globe and Mail terms “panic in the government” should not descend into head-over-heels panic. Logging long-protected forest areas will certainly appear as panic and a government that...
Transforming forest management in B.C
The recent auditor-general's report on government mismanagement of our forests should serve as a wake-up call to the people of British Columbia to demand transformation of forest governance and management. Healthy forests provide us with clean water and clean air. They store three-quarters of the...
A crisis of neglect in the province’s forests
In 1985, the rapidly growing amount of not-satisfactorily-restocked (NSR) land in B.C. forests became a crisis. This resulted in a joint provincial and federal $300-million funding plan, the Forest Resource Development Agreement (FRDA) that restocked many thousands of hectares.
Politics trumps reason as B.C. eyes bid to raid protected forests
The fire that destroyed the lumber mill in Burns Lake this winter was sudden and catastrophic, sending a small town into shock. Overnight, 250 jobs vanished. Imagine a blow that severe landing on a dozen different communities and you have a sense of what is coming in central and northern British...
Foresters join warning cry over risk to forest sustainability
B.C. forest inventories are so far out of date that the foresters' professional association is questioning whether provincial forestlands can still be managed sustainably. A report by the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals released Monday says that at a time when wildfire and insect pests...
Auditor General report on forestry - A trust betrayed
The Auditor General of British Columbia has released a report that is sharply critical of the BC Government and Ministry of Forests’ management of BC forests. Indeed, it would be hard to find a government report that is more withering in its criticism.
B.C.'s efforts not enough to halt forestry declines
B.C. auditor general John Doyle said in a report released Thursday that the province is ill-prepared to manage the province's beetle-ravaged forests, which are heading toward a long-term decline in both value and diversity. "We are already facing the fact that the value of the forest is going to be...
BC Government Killing Forest Industry: Auditor General
Worse, the government lacks reliable information on the state of the forest and has no plan for what to do about it, he said. Various observers said Doyle's report confirmed what critics have said for years, but the minister responsible insisted the province has a plan and is doing the necessary...