Sustainable forests are a high priority for British Columbians and central to the BCTS mandate. We are committed to excellence in meeting our forest management and stewardship obligations, and strive for continuous improvement of our forest management activities and practices.

BCTS strongly advocates strategic resource management planning and sustainable practices based upon objective science and sound data. We collaborate with other government agencies, industry colleagues and forestry professionals on important resource management initiatives such as old growth forests, biodiversity, wildlife management, species at risk and ecosystem-based management (EBM). We work with First Nations, environmental organizations and other parties in these and other areas of shared interest.

BCTS is unique in being a government agency that plans, oversees and delivers forestry operations subject to many of the same statutory requirements as forest licensees. This enables BCTS to support government decision making on important forest management matters by providing experience-based, objective and verifiable information about operational implications, costs and benefits.

1. Our cost and pricing benchmark mandate directs us to reflect industry standards and practices in meeting our obligations under the Forest and Range Practices Act.
   
   
2. We play a key role in shaping industry standards in forestry practices because we operate across the province in areas selected to represent the full range of operational conditions. We participate in strategic land use planning initiatives and work with industry and government agency colleagues to develop innovative and cost-effective strategies, standards and practices.
   
   
3. We contribute to the development and continuous improvement of forest policy, legislation and standards through alignment and collaboration with the Ministry of Forests and Range and other resource-focused government agencies.
   
   
4. We have achieved certification of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in all 12 Business Areas to the standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001). We have a corporate strategy for certification under Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) standards and have achieved SFM certification in a number of our operating areas. For more information about Business Area certification activities, please check our public website.
   
   
5. We are committed to meeting our silviculture obligations and have a solid record in achieving statutory requirements from pre-harvest to free growing. BCTS is the largest tree planter in British Columbia, having planted more than 100 million trees since its inception in April 2003. This work is supported through site preparation, stand treatments and other silviculture activities.