by Greg Anderson
Operations Manager and EFMPP Coordinator
Rocky Mountain Forest District

In January, 1996 the Rocky Mountain Forest District (RMFD) in the East Kootenay was selected as one of only two areas in the province (there is now four pilots) to host an Enhanced Forest Management Pilot Project (EFMPP). The RMFD formally initiated the EFMPP in March, 1996 and a detailed project plan was later endorsed by a broadly-based provincial steering committee in July, 1996. Implementation of the project plan for the pilot began at that time.

The EFMPP is a co-operative effort between industry, the Ministries of Forests and Environment, Forest Renewal BC, labour and the academic community. The over-riding goal of the Invermere EFMPP was to develop enhanced forest management strategies at the forest level which would re-examine the timing, location and intensity of management practices, the application of various harvesting systems and better focus forest inventory and research activities.

A local Working Group was assembled to undertake the project led by the Ministry of Forests (MOF) but including representation from the Ministry of Environment, Tembec Industries Inc., Slocan Forest Products and several MOF District and Regional specialists.

In undertaking the EFMPP exercise, the Working Group struck a "vision" through which to focus the activities of the various individuals and groups involved with the project. The vision was to adopt management strategies and principles which would lead to:

Optimising the management of all resource values within the study area but, in particular, those which influence the short and long-term timber supply through the ongoing application and investigation of innovative forest management practices and techniques.

Based on this "vision" and the efforts of the EFMPP Working Group, a number of forest management strategies/principles, which are described in detail within the "Management Strategies Report" (available for downloading on the EFMPP webpage), were identified in the EFMPP study area. These strategies and principles were arrived at as a result of;

• analysing and applying the results of field investigation, trials and research,
• extensive computer modeling and analyses,
• local knowledge and innovation on the part of the Working Group members, and
• positive dialogue among the Working Group members aimed at improving overall forest management.

 GOING BEYOND THE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES REPORT

While the Management Strategies Report for the Invermere EFMPP, which was published in November, 1998, served to meet the deliverables of the original terms of reference under which the pilot was commissioned, it does not (nor can it) accurately reflect the many benefits (some intangible) that have accrued as a result of the project that are as equally and possibly more important than the Management Strategy Report itself.

The management strategies/principles adopted in the pilot are clearly focused on a specific land base. As such, the strategies/principles themselves may not always be directly transferable to other jurisdictions in the province. This does not diminish the value of the pilot, however. Importantly, what can be transferred directly to other jurisdictions and what should not be lost in the EFMPP exercise, are the many organisational and operational benefits that have resulted from the Invermere EFMPP.

 THE BENEFITS

What are the other specific benefits that have accrued from the Invermere EFMPP?

• The already positive working relationship between the Forest Service and forest licensees has further improved as evidenced by the consensus reached on a package of resource management strategies/principles that previously would have been difficult. This could not have happened without a critical mass of individuals asking for and receiving answers (both analytical and investigative). These answers were generated from accurate information and data.
  
• Overall the IFD staff capability has increased dramatically in terms of computer analysis and modeling expertise, project management skills and extension experience. Ad hoc impact analyses on timber and wildlife can now be generated "on the fly" using a current and accurate inventory database allowing the district to truly practice "adaptive management" in ever changing times.
  
• The public response to the results of the pilot and ongoing research has been positive and has extended overall confidence in forest resource management in the district. Future management decisions and activities are enhanced as a result.
  
• A significant amount of computer technology development has spun out of the pilot that is now being (or will be) applied elsewhere in the province, including;
  - the GIS processing of Forest Service Simulation Model (FSSIM) datafiles has been refined thereby allowing greater flexibility to the analyst when assessing timber supply,
  - a method to spatially represent FSSIM harvest flows in a very accurate way has been developed, allowing a visible means to cross-check predicted harvest flows and to be used a s a tool in strategic planning,
  - the interaction of the Woodstock optimisation model applied against FSSIM generated harvest flows has resulted in more coherent strategic silviculture decisions tied to predicted harvest flows, and
  - the concept behind a predictive GIS model for identifying potential archaeological sites will find applications with government, First Nations and industry.
  
• A comprehensive strategy for restoring Natural Disturbance Type 4 ecosystems has now been extended to other parts of the District, where implementation is well underway, and to other parts of the province.
  
• The process for preparing a "Silviculture Strategic Plan" which optimises treatments, costs and timber volume impacts over the long-term has been generated and is beginning to be applied in other districts.
  
• For the first time, an empirical method to measure the environmental impacts of harvesting activities on the wildlife has been modeled (through SIMFOR), for use both at a strategic (Timber Supply Review) and Landscape Unit level. This capability is scheduled for presentation to other Ministry of Environment offices in the province and has been introduced to the MOF Chief Forester.
  
• Operational research trials initiated as a result of the pilot’s management strategies/principles have generated a multitude of operationally relevant results that have been and continue to be reported on and, most importantly, applied in the field. In particular, the trial results include;
  - methods to maintain and determine the effects on soil productivity during harvesting operations,

- methods to successfully rehabilitate landings, borrow pits and skid trails,
- developing partial harvesting prescriptions in old growth stands which still maintain the old growth stand structural attributes,
- initiating growth and yield assessments on partially cut stands to empirically measure growth response rates for use in partial cut modeling exercises,
- analyzing the economic implications of both partial cutting old-growth stands and commercial thinning opportunities,
- modifying harvest planning and practices to minimise impacts on songbirds,
- investigating fire history and adopting a fire ecology based approach to large patch biodiversity management,
- refining methods to treat Armillaria root disease in calcareous soil conditions to facilitate harvesting and minimise long-term impacts on AAC, and
- developing an understanding of goshawk habitat needs and preferences and refining prescriptions to accommodate harvesting activities.

The pilot is not over. There is a significant amount of additional work that must be completed that will be ongoing for several years in the Invermere EFMPP. This includes, in particular, several of the operational research projects now underway, proving out and reporting on several of the computer analysis techniques refined and developed through the pilot, and continuing to actively extend the pilot’s results across the province.

For more information about the Invermere EFMPP contact Greg Anderson, EFMPP Coordinator at 250-342-4200 or visit the pilot website at;

www.for.gov.bc.ca/drm/pilot/index.htm