Amendments to the Standards – November 2006

On November 23, 2006, in accordance with requirements and authorities provided under section 169 of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), section 43 of the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation, and section 32 of the Woodlot Licence Planning and Practices Regulation, Jim Snetsinger, Chief Forester, introduced several minor and administrative amendments to the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use.

These amendments include:

  1. Appendix 2 – Seed Planning Zones: Website address for the Land and Resource Data Warehouse (LRDW) – used for viewing and downloading seed planning zones - is updated to http://lrdw.ca/. Also noted is LRDW is now managed by the Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB).
  2. Appendix 3 - Lots from Natural Stands: Submaritime (SM) seed planning zone (SPZ) is added to the SPZ of Origin column for Interior lodgepole pine (Pli) to permit Pli seed collected in the SM to be transferred into Interior SPZs if used within same BEC zone. This is the same transfer provision for other interior species collected in the SM.
  3. Appendix 5 – Superior Provenances: Elevation range for collecting seed from the Sitka Spruce (Ss) Haney superior provenance (B+) in Table 5.2 is changed from “100-300 m” to “1-300 m”. This range better reflects the elevation range of the original parent tree selections.
  4. Appendix 6 – Non-BC Seed Sources: The location of Weyerhaeuser’s US Noble fir orchard, identified incorrectly in Table 6.2 as “Rochester, WA”, is changed to “Sequim, WA”. Also, the species code for Noble fir is changed from “Bn” to “Bp” in Tables 6.1 and 6.2 for consistency with ministry’s new standard for species codes.
  5. Appendix 6 – Non-BC Seed Sources: The names of Weyerhaeuser’s low elevation Douglas-fir (Fdc) orchard blocks are added to Table 6.2 to distinguish them from the high elevation blocks at the same locations (refer to next item).
  6. Appendix 6 – Non-BC Seed Sources: Weyerhaeuser’s high elevation Fdc blocks at Sequim, WA, and Turner, OR, are added to Table 6.2 as seed sources suitable for use in BC, with a transfer range of 700-1200 m within the Maritime (M) SPZ.

These amendments come into effect on April 1, 2007. However, in accordance with s. 169(4)(c) of FRPA, a person can waive the prescribed 4-month notification period and take advantage of these changes immediately.

If you have any questions regarding these amendments please contact Brian Barber, Deputy Director, Tree Improvement Branch, at (250) 356-0888 or brian.barber@gov.bc.ca