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 Timber
Harvesting and Silviculture Practices
Page Contents:
What are the changes
in December 2002?
The Timber Harvesting Practices Regulation
and Silviculture Practices Regulation have been repealed and
replaced with a combined Timber Harvesting and Silviculture
Practices Regulation (THSPR). The new regulation combines provisions
from the existing regulations along with new sections. A detailed
listing of the changes is contained in the appendix.
Some of the new provisions in the Timber
Harvesting and Silviculture Practices Regulation include the
following:
- applicable
performance standards;
- variances
and authorizations;
- default
specifications for applicable performance standards;
- limitation
of liability; and
- changes
to the percentage of median height used to define countable
trees under maximum density.
The combined THSPR continues to cover areas
such as:
- protection
of streams and riparian areas;
- protection
of non-timber resources;
- access
structures;
- forest
health;
- soil
conservation;
- prohibitions,
constraints and requirements on silviculture treatments; and
- wildlife
tree retention.
All types of joint decisions and joint actions
have been removed from all FPC regulations under these amendments
to the FPC.
Applicable
Performance Standards
Section 1(2) of the THSPR-defines applicable
performance standards. These standards must be followed and
achieved on each site during harvesting and silviculture practices.
These standards will be monitored and enforced.
Applicable performance standards can be found
in the Silviculture Prescription. If there is no Silviculture
Prescription for the area then the performance standards will
be set according to the following order:
- Existing
Forest Development Plan; or
- Variance
to a default standard in the THSPR granted by the District
Manager; or
- Default
standard in the THSPR.
Variances
and Authorizations
Section 2 of the THSPR enables District Managers
to grant variances to performance requirements in the THSPR
upon application by a licencee. The District Manager can not
give a variance to:
- an applicable
performance standard that appears in a Forest Development
Plan or existing Silviculture Prescription; or
- the requirement
to use only collected and registered seed/vegetative lots,
store seed with the MOF and to keep a record of registration
of seed/vegetative lots used and the locations where they
were planted.
If the requirement is in the regulation,
changes are made through a variance. If the requirement is in
a FDP or existing silviculture prescription, the licencee will
have to amend the plan.
Protection
of Streams and Riparian Areas
Division 2 of the THSPR covers the protection
of streams and riparian areas and maintains the current environment
standards including:
- Tracks
and wheels of ground-based machinery are not allowed within
5 metres of a stream bank regardless of stream classification.
Exceptions are limited to firefighting, responses to natural
disasters, authorized stream crossings or if operations will
be conducted to protect the stream bank and minimize damage
to understory vegetation; and
- Yarding
is not permitted over any fisheries-sensitive zone. Slash
or debris cannot be deposited in an aquatic environment where
it is capable of damaging fish habitat or reducing water quality.
Silviculture
Treatments
Silviculture treatments are defined in the
THSPR as a treatment carried out individually or as part of
a regime of treatments to create the described post harvest
stand structure, site conditions, or free growing stand conditions.
This definition precludes silviculture treatments that are being
conducted outside of a Silviculture Prescription or Site Plan
(e.g., backlog treatments or spacing under FIA contracts).
Application of requirements, constraints
or prohibitions on silviculture treatments under the THSPR include
the following:
- falling
or modification of trees;
- constraining
slash and debris in and around aquatic environments;
- restricted
operation of machinery;
- general
wildlife measures;
- use of
seed and vegetative material;
- use of
livestock for site preparation or brush control;
- mandatory
spacing is maximum density is exceeded;
- pruning
required in specified circumstances; and
- use of
fertilizers.
Constraints related to pesticides in the
previous regulation have been deleted and will now be managed
by WLAP in their revised legislation. The requirement for containers
of seedlings to be marked if the seedlings have been treated
with pesticides is also removed and covered under WCB regulations.
Licencees have an opportunity to vary the
requirements by requesting a variance from the District Manager
(e.g., request a variance to exceed the limits on seed tree
transfer as specified in the Seed and Vegetative Material Guidebook).
Reforestation
and Reporting Obligations
Part 4 of the THSPR clarifies the silviculture
treatments for areas under a Site Plan (discussed above under
Site Plans and Silviculture):
- Reporting
requirements;
- Limitation
of liability; and
- Waiver
of funding of free growing obligation.
Stand
Level Biodiversity (Wildlife Trees)
Section 16 of the THSPR contains provisions
related to retention of wildlife trees. In the absence of applicable
performance standards for retention of wildlife trees, the default
is specified in chapter 3.2 of the Landscape Unit Planning Guide.
Soil Conservation
Sections 30-33 of the THSPR regulates default
performance standards for soil disturbance. If performance standards
are not defined in the FDP, the default standards are:
- maximum
5% soil disturbance in a standards unit with sensitive soils;
- maximum
10% soil disturbance in a standards unit without sensitive
soils;
- maximum
25% soil disturbance for roadside work areas; and
- maximum
7% of cutblock allowed for permanent access structures.
Licencees can request a variance to the default
standard for a specific site or submit an amendment to the standards
in the FDP.
Cutting Permits
For the transition period to the new FRPA,
all cutting permit administrative processes including the application
and issuance of cutting permits will not change.
Applicable
Legislation
Amendments to the Forest Practices Code
of British Columbia Act that impact timber harvesting and
silviculture practices include section 162.1-Limitation on liability
to persons to Government.
The applicable regulation is the Timber Harvesting
and Silviculture Practices Regulation (THSPR). This is a new
regulation based on combining two existing regulations - Timber
Harvesting Practices Regulation and Silviculture Practices Regulation.
New and amended sections in this regulation are listed in
Appendix B (
388 Kb) of the Primer.
Downloads
Recorded Presentations
Audio and slide presentations were made to
provide information to session participants from subject matter
experts. For
more information about the format and use of these files, click
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We have provided the Powerpoint overheads,
a transcription of the session, a PDF file of the overhead handouts
(3 slides per page), and the full presentation with audio.
Written Materials
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