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The development of Future
Forest Strategies (FFS) is a new initiative envisioned to provide a forward
looking strategic guidance document for a management unit (i.e. TSA, TFL) or
multiple management unit level (i.e. combination of TSAs / TFLs). The strategies
will provide a vision for and articulate the structure of the forest 50 to 100
years hence that will ultimately guide forest management activities and
investments towards a more diversified, resilient future forest providing the
appropriate goods and services.
The B.C. forest sector is experiencing many challenges; most notably:
- the largest recorded mountain pine beetle outbreak in North America;
- consensus that the global climate is warming with expected significant
changes to species and ecosystem distribution, and the range and impact of
many forest pests and diseases;
- increasing public concern regarding sustainable forest management;
- international market forces impacting on an already struggling forest
industry; and
- a provincial timber harvesting land base that is constantly under pressure
and scrutiny from various competing interests and agencies.
Forests figure prominently in the well-being of British Columbia’s
environment, economy and communities and in a forest–based province with a
growing population, sustainability means managing the public forests in ways
that meets the needs of future generations, while allowing access today to
that resource. Without a vision for the future forests of the province,
ensuring sustainability and global competitiveness, given the current and
future forest sector challenges, is arduous.
The province has a solid foundation of high-level strategic land-use plans,
comprehensive legislative and policy regimes that regulate forest practices,
and a myriad of operational and tactical forestry plans and strategies, most
of which are predicated on the current forest condition. As illustrated in
Figure 1, articulating a vision for our future forests and applying a “lens”
to that vision of any forestry related challenges (issues / drivers), as
they arise, will provide the information that informs existing strategies,
the need for new strategies and scenarios, and potential “gaps” to be
addressed. Ultimately the FFS can:
- provide further assurance to the public, stakeholders, and government that
their current and future forest needs are understood, balanced and
addressed;
- guide forest landbase investments, and influence silviculture treatments,
research activities, Forest Investment Account (FIA) activities and
priorities;
- inform future development of Sustainable Forest Management Plans (SFMP),
Forest Stewardship Plans (FSP), Timber Supply Review (TSR) and forest
management strategic documents;
- inform the need for updates to land-use plans and / or legal land-use
objectives and to identify possible legislative issues;
- identify the need for potential changes to forest management policies
relative to achieving the objectives outlined for the future forest
strategy; and
- provide for forward-looking strategic planning of timber supplies.
There are a number of key initiatives (e.g. TSR, climate change, bioenergy
strategy, Ecosystem Based Management (EBM), Future Forest Ecosystem Initiative (FFEI))
that currently exist or are in their infancy of implementation that will have
some bearing on the future forests of the province. To distinguish between the
FFEI and FFS, projects completed under FFEI will be focused on the adaptation of
research associated with changing ecological conditions resulting from climate
change. It is expected that over time as the findings, recommendations and/or
directions resulting from these initiatives become available; they will be
integrated into the FFS.
Further information on the FFS initiative can be obtained by contacting the
Forest Sector Initiatives Section of the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch:
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