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Community Forest Inventory
Community Forest Inventory / Forest Investment Account Funding
Guidelines (March, 2007)
The community forest concept was initiated in 1998 with the formation
of several pilot projects. As of December, 2005, 11 Community Forest
Agreements have been issues. These range in size from 400 to 60,000
hectares. Invitations have been extended to a further 29 communities.
The average AAC of these potential agreements is 20,000 m3 per year.
Community Forests are eligible for Forest Investment Account (FIA)
funding to conduct strategic level Vegetation Resource Inventory (VRI)
Phase I Photo Interpretation on the Crown Land area of their tenure.
The purpose of this document is to guide licensees when they are
requesting FIA funding to pay for VRI activities on community forests.
- Community Forests are eligible for FIA funding to conduct
strategic level VRI Phase I Photo Interpretation similar to the
inventory intensity on TSAs and TFLs. The work to be completed with
this funding includes all phases of the inventory up to and
including submission for inclusion in the LRDW.
- The cost of inventory projects (subject to competitive bid) is
expected to be $4000 for a community forest up to 1000 hectares in
size. The target funding for areas in excess of the initial 1000
hectares is $1.75 per hectare. Funding limits for Community Forests
less than 1000 hectares will be considered case by case.
Example:
A Community Forest is 10,000 hectares in size. |
| The first 1000 hectares is allowed |
|
$ 4,000 |
|
The subsequent 9000 hectares is allowed $1.75/ hectare |
|
$ 15,750 |
| Total Cost (Target Funding) |
+/- |
$ 20,050 |
Community Forest inventory projects will be eligible for FIA funding
when the following criteria are met.
- The inventory meets the VRI Phase I standards.
- The vegetation attributes are supported by new calibration data.
The type and amount of fieldwork is to be agreed upon prior to the
inventory project proceeding.
- The completed inventory will be stored in the LRDW.
- The purpose of the inventory is to have the AAC re-calculated,
or the inventory is to be included in a new or revised Community
Forest Management Plan.
A licensee proposing
to complete an inventory should discuss the project with the district
manager. A short simple proposal should be prepared stating the
following:
Question: |
Default Answers |
What is the purpose of the inventory? |
To recalculate the AAC (?)
For inclusion in the Management Plan (?) |
What type of inventory is being proposed? |
Vegetation Resource Inventory
Phase I, Photo Interpretation |
What standard will be used? |
VRI standards. |
What area will be covered? |
The whole Community Forest. |
What fieldwork is planned? How much fieldwork? |
One and three point Inventory ground calls. |
When will the inventory be completed? |
|
Who will conduct the inventory? |
Select a company from the Certified VRI Contractors list. |
How will the information be compiled and stored? |
On the Land and Resource Data Warehouse (LRDW) |
How will the Inventory be paid for? |
Forest Investment Account |
- Strategic vs. Operational Accuracy
Polygon volume estimates from VRI Phase I may be +/- 50% of the
actual polygon volumes. An inventory adjustment after Phase II
Sampling corrects the total volume for the management unit, but
individual polygon volumes may still be +/- 50% of the actual
polygon volumes. This accuracy for individual polygons and
management unit totals is considered acceptable for strategic
inventories of large management units like TSAs and TFLs. Woodlot
and Community Forest licensees and forest managers operating in a
local area often require or desire detailed information on their
area of interest to manage day to day operations. The VRI is
designed to be a strategic inventory and does not meet local needs
for polygon by polygon planning. There is a need to educate forest
managers of appropriate and inappropriate applications of the VRI
and advocate other tools like “Cruising” to meet local needs.
- Community Forest within or exclusive of TSA and TFL lands.
Community Forests are an area based tenure and as such, will be
removed from the area of a TSA for Timber Supply Analysis. Following
that logic, they should also be removed from the TSA for VRI Phase
II sampling. However, because Community Forests will not have their
own Phase II, this means they will never have a Phase II. One of the
underlying principles of VRI is that the entire province will be
inventoried. This brings us back to the question, “Should Community
Forests be included in the sample plan for an adjacent TSA?”
There is speculation that some Community Forests will be created on
the coast out of “Take Back Lands” from TFLs. If this is the case,
there is an even stronger argument to exclude them from TFL Phase II
sampling. This leads to the need for individual sample plans for
each Community Forests, yet common wisdom suggests that full VRI
Phase II is too expensive for such small land parcels.
- Holders of Community Forest Agreement tenures submitting a Phase
I inventory project plan in FIRS should specify the keywords
"Community Forest Inventory" under the VRI Activity.
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