Forest Practices > Silviculture

Silviculture Surveys

Welcome to the Silviculture Surveys Home Page. On this site you will find information that relates to the Provincial Silviculture Survey System currently used by the BC Ministry of Forest and Range to measure reforestation success. In addition, links are provided to updated legislation relative to FRPA and FPPR, supporting the declaration of reforestation milestones by major provincial forest licenses.

The What’s New section in the adjacent side bar highlights quick links to recent legislation updates, clarification points and current issues regarding surveys.

Silviculture Survey Manual

• Silviculture Surveys Procedures Manual - April 2012
• Silviculture Surveys Procedures Manual - April 2011
• FS 660 - FIELD CARD WITH UPDATED PROCEDURES
  (October 2011)

Silviculture Surveyors Accreditation Program and Exams

• Accreditation Brochure 2011 and Performance Objectives
• Accredited Surveyors List – updated April, 2012
• Accreditation Exam Schedule – 2012

Silviculture Survey Training Courses

• Course Schedule 2012
• Basic Survey Training PowerPoint
• Complex Stand Survey Training - PowerPoint

Silviculture Survey Legislation Links

• FPRA Sections:  1 ; 2; 21 to 31; 157
• FPPR Sections: 1; 16; 34; 43 to 46.2; 85 to 88; 97 and 97.1; 110.1; 111; Schedule 1 Factors Section 6
• WLPPR Sections: 1; 12; 13; 33 to 35.1;75; 76; 82 to 84

Silviculture Survey Reference Documents

• Secondary Structure surveys:
  • Presentation (4.3 MB, PPT, posted Aug. 5, 2008)
  • Order-in-Council - approved on June 26, 2008
  • Explanation of Secondary Structure Regulation Amendments (39 K, pdf, posted June 26, 2008)
  • Suggested survey method for measuring stocking of secondary structure (42 k, pdf, posted June 26, 2008)
  • Questions?  Contact Allan Powelson or Al Waters. 
     
• Establishment to Free-growing guidebooks
• Forest Cover Stratification and Milestone Declaration V1.4 (3.6 MB, pdf, updated August 14, 2007)
• Forest Practices and Planning Regulation amendment (126 k, pdf,
• Free growing damage criteria - see Appendix 5 of the Establishment to Free-growing Guidebooks
• Correlated guidelines for management of uneven aged drybelt  Douglas-fir in British Columbia - first approximation (pdf, posted Sept. 27, 2006)
• Land Management Handbook No. 50 - The Effect of the Silviculture Survey Parameters on the Free-Growing Decision Probabilities and Projected Volume at Rotation  (posted March 22, 2002)
• Update 2003-2  Stocking and Free Growing Survey Procedures – Inventory Label - changes resulting from the new Silviculture and Harvest Practices Regulation  (Word 97, 38 k, posted May. 13, 2003)
• Update 2003-1. Tallying countable conifers. A description of the new procedures for determining countable heights. (Word 97, 37 k, posted Feb. 20, 2003)
• Maximum Density for Lodgepole pine in the Southern Interior Forest Region - February 8, 2006
• Maximum Density for Lodgepole pine in the Northern Interior Forest Region - July 17, 2007
• Multi-storey Survey Procedures Course Workbook - March 2008
• Stocking Standards Home Page

Site Index

• SIBEC 2006 - Site Index by Site Series (2nd approximation) Stand
• Site Tools - provides convenient access to determining site index for a stand using the Growth Intercept (GI) and Site Index Curve methods. Site index is calculated from the height and age of sample trees measured on the site.
  Specifically for GI, once the latest version of Site Tools is loaded on your computer, follow these steps:
  • Click on Tools in the top menu bar and select “Calculate Value”;
  • Select your SI  species from the drop down menu (note the recommended equation to be used will appear below species);
  • Select “Calculate SI” from the next drop down menu;
  • Enter your sample tree total height and breast height age and then click “Calculate”;
  • The GI Site Index will be displayed to the right of the screen.

Establishment Decision Aids

• FORREX - Stand Establishment Decision Aids (SEDA)
  • Competing Vegetation SEDAs
  • Forest Health SEDAs

Forest Health References and Free-growing Damage Criteria

• Forest Health Stand Tending Decision Keys – UPDATED Coastal | Interior
• DISCLAIMER (please read before consulting the following criteria)
  • Free growing damage criteria - revised April 2008 with the addition of Cattle damage and bark mining insects.(137k, pdf, posted Dec 11, 2008)
  • Multi-layer Free-growing Damage Criteria (55k, pdf, posted May 16, 2008)
  • Broadleaf Free-growing Damage Criteria  UPDATED (257 k, pdf, posted April 11, 2012)
  • Stand Development Monitoring Damage Criteria for Even-Aged (Age Class 2 & 3) Coniferous Trees - Feb 12, 2010
  • Defoliation guidelines for determinate species (posted Aug. 10, 2006)
• FS 747 - Pest Damage and Condition Codes
• NOTE:  These sections are also found on pages 11-20 of the FS 660 Field Cards