B.C.’s new Forest Practices Code will affect all resource management (including management for the timber resource) on B.C.’s forest and range lands. The legislation, regulations, standards and field guides supporting the Forest Practices Code have been produced cooperatively by the ministries of Forests and Environment, Lands and Parks and by other ministries and individuals. The Code establishes rigorous and enforceable new standards and regulations that will ensure that government, companies and the public clearly understand the management standards that are expected and the penalties for breaching those standards. More information about the Forest Practices Code is available in Section 9.2.3.
The following figures detail significant timber harvesting activities since the 1984 FRRA. Where information is not available for certain reporting years, it is noted in the text.
For the period 1984-1994, the annual volume of timber harvested and billed increased from 74.5 million cubic metres in 1984-85 to a peak of 89.1 million cubic metres in 1987-88 and declined to 78.8 million cubic metres in 1993-94 (Figure 3.32). Part of the increase during the 1980s was to allow for salvage of wood from trees killed by bark beetles.
Figure 3.33 shows the volume of timber products billed by land status from 1984-85 to 1992-93. Allowable annual cuts apply to the regulated harvest areas, but operators are allowed some flexibility in the amount cut annually. Volumes billed on regulated land peaked in 1987-88 at 75.9 million cubic metres, 9.3% (6.4 million cubic metres) above the ten-year average. Provincial cut controls do not apply to the “unregulated” areas.[34] Volumes billed peaked on unregulated Crown and private land in 1988-89 at 13.8 million cubic metres, 29.9% (3.2 million cubic metres) above the ten-year average. Volumes billed on federal land peaked in 1987-88 at 337 000 cubic metres, 53.2% (120 000 cubic metres) above the 10-year average.
Figure 3.34 shows the volume of timber products billed by forest region, by species during the 1992-93 fiscal year. Pines (mostly lodgepole pine) and spruces (primarily white spruce and its hybrids) are particularly important in the interior forest regions. Hemlocks, true firs, cedars and Douglas-fir are more important in the coastal Vancouver Forest Region.
Figures 3.35 and 3.36 show the timber products billed by species, by year, from 1984 to 1994. The ranking of the four species (true firs, hemlock, lodgepole pine and spruce) that contributed the most to the provincial harvest remained relatively constant. Lodgepole pine (19.1 million cubic metres per year ) accounted for about 24.5% of the annual average provincial harvest, replacing spruce (17.3 million cubic metres per year or 21.3%) as the leading species harvested over this period, followed by hemlock (13.5 million cubic metres per year or 17.0%) and true firs (10.8 million cubic metres per year or 13.6%). Part of the increased lodgepole pine harvest was to allow recovery of beetle-killed wood. Other species made up 23.6% of the average annual provincial harvest over this period.
A silvicultural system is a cycle of activities by which a forest stand is harvested, regenerated and tended over time (Figure 3.37). Four silvicultural systems are used in British Columbia. Their names reflect the forest structure remaining after the initial harvest: clearcutting, seed tree, shelterwood and selection. The final three systems are also known collectively as partial cutting systems.
Even-Aged and Uneven-Aged Systems
There are two basic classes of silvicultural systems — even-aged and uneven-aged. Even-aged systems generally create stands of trees approximately the same age. Clearcutting, seed tree and shelterwood are generally considered to be even-aged silvicultural systems. Uneven-aged systems, such as selection, maintain or create stands with trees of several distinct age classes.
Historical Perspective
Clearcutting, the primary method of timber harvesting in British Columbia, accounts for approximately 90% of the total area harvested in the province each year. Figure 3.38 shows the percentages of total provincial harvest that were clearcut and partially cut on Crown and private lands. There was a slightly higher percentage of partial cutting on private land (14% of the area partially cut) than on Crown land (10% of the area partially cut) over this period.
Choosing a Silvicultural System
Each silvicultural system has advantages and limitations. A range of biological, social and economic factors should be considered on a site-specific basis when selecting a system. Some of these factors are:
As shown in Figure 3.39 the total area of Crown and private land that was clearcut increased from 187 000 hectares in 1984-85 to 246 900 hectares in 1988-89, fell to a low of 166 600 hectares in 1990-91 and recovered to 190 600 hectares in 1992-93. The area that was partially cut decreased from 29 400 hectares in 1984-85 to 15 000 hectares in 1990-91, rising to 31 000 hectares in 1992-93. Clearcuts made up about 86% of the total area cut in 1984-85, increased gradually to 92% in 1990-91 and declined to 86% in 1992-93.
Choice of harvesting system is dictated primarily by slope, size of timber and wetness of the soil. The choice greatly influences the size and density of roads, landings and skid trails and thus the degree of disturbance to or loss of growing sites. On sensitive sites, coastal operations have favored full suspension systems (e.g., skylines, helicopters, balloons) to reduce the roads required for harvest. Interior operations have turned to wide, low pressure tires and low ground pressure track machines to increase their ground skidding area. Light, small high-lead and grapple yarders are used for steeper slopes.
The soil conservation and integrated watershed management requirements of the new Forest Practices Code compel forest companies to use appropriate harvesting systems. To this end, the Ministry of Forests and forest industry jointly fund research programs to determine ecologically, economically and socially feasible alternative harvesting systems. Table 3.7 presents some trends in coastal and interior harvesting systems.
The total length of Forest Service and operations roads today (over 37 000 kilometres) far exceeds the length of the provincial highway system. Total road inventory and improvements (including costs) are shown in Figures 3.40 and 3.41. Costs for road construction and improvement are totals for both industry and the ministry.
Roads disrupt the natural stability of soil by modifying the ground profile and disturbing the natural drainage pattern. The quality of road planning, design, construction, maintenance and deactivation determines, to a large degree, the impact of timber harvesting on the forest landscape.
The emphasis on planning and the specification of rules for road construction in the new Forest Practices Code are expected to reduce the amount of road required to develop an area and to reduce the impact of roads on adjacent resources. These, in turn, may lower road construction costs and reduce potential environmental costs from prevalent problems such as surface soil erosion and mass wasting.
