Integrated resource management processes include:
The first step in practising integrated resource management is collecting information on all resource values.
Over the past decade, there has been an increasing demand for both timber and non-timber values, and a growing concern for the quality of environmental stewardship. Responding to these needs, while achieving sustainable development, requires informed choices based on sound technical information. Research is used to develop solutions for today's resource management challenges, and to help develop the understanding needed to address future issues.
The Forest Service uses scientific knowledge and improved technology to meet a great diversity of forest resource management objectives and environmental goals. By cooperating with national and international research agencies and client groups, Forest Service researchers also ensure that new knowledge and promising developments are available to B.C.'s forest and range managers.
The Forest Service's research and extension activities also support key government initiatives, such as the Forest Practices Code, Protected Areas Strategy, CORE, and the Timber Supply Review.
The Forest Practices Code is to a large extent based on research findings. Researchers must now continue to refine, test and monitor the new practices.
Recent accomplishments include:
Key considerations in resource planning are how to allocate range use, administer range tenures, and recover revenues from the livestock industry for the use of one million animal unit months (AUMs) of forage a year.
Increasing demands on the range resource required the development of a five-year strategic plan to clarify the Forest Service's mission and philosophy in managing the range resource, and to improve range land stewardship. Based on that plan, new initiatives were started in 1991/92.
Implementation will continue in 1995/96, and will include increased range use planning, inventory and monitoring of range ecosystems, tenure inspections, research, biological weed control and forage enhancements.
Standards and practices for range lands will be developed to meet the requirements of the Forest Practices Code. Investments will be made to maintain efficient resource use, and to protect or enhance range land productivity.
The Forest Service is responsible for managing recreation on provincial Crown lands outside of parks and settled areas, except where tenures are required. A key component of resource planning is taking these diverse recreational values into account.
To provide the public with opportunities for the enjoyment and appreciation of recreation resources, the Forest Service's goals are to:
Public participation is central to effectively protect recreation resources and to provide opportunities for use. An ongoing goal is to involve the public in all aspects of recreation stewardship, from the development of policies to the management of specific areas.
Information from the Forest Service's comprehensive inventory of B.C.'s timber, recreation and range resources is an important part of the planning process.
The Forest Service maintains a computerized, geographically-referenced database, and provides summary information to resource managers in the Forest Service, other ministries, and the private sector. The private sector is used extensively for surveys, inventories, updates, data compilation, and mapping.
Common inventory standards and procedures are being developed through the Resources Inventory Committee.
Goals for the next five years are to:
The forest inventory provides much of the technical information needed by the chief forester in determining the allowable annual cut for each timber supply area and tree farm licence area. It is also an important component of resource planning for an area.
Resource planning uses research and inventory information to provide planning direction for the future management of resources, and allow for evaluation of the success of management action.
Achieving local consensus about resource planning is one of the greatest challenges faced by the government and Forest Service. Public, stakeholders and aboriginal people participate in resource planning to reach a sub-regional or local consensus about land use and timber harvesting. The government's goal is to ensure that the majority of decisions are made at the appropriate level, with only the highest level plans and the most controversial issues requiring a decision by Cabinet.
Resource plans are used to deliver integrated resource management. When resource plans are approved and implemented in the field, they provide benefits such as jobs, wildlife habitat, water, conservation, revenue, recreational opportunities, range for livestock and wildlife, road access, and timber production. Field operations are monitored in order to ensure compliance with the resource plans. Monitoring and enforcement have been strengthened under the Forest Practices Code.
The planning structure is currently undergoing review. Table 4 shows current planning levels.
Key resource planning objectives over the next three years are to:
Many agencies besides the Forest Service are involved in planning for integrated resource management.
The Forest Service works with the Land Use Coordination Office (LUCO), which was created to develop, coordinate and oversee implementation of provincial land use policy, regional and sub-regional land use plans and the Protected Areas Strategy.
The Forest Service also works with the Commission on Resources and Environment on the provincial land use strategy and goals
The Forest Service works with other ministries on a variety of management protocols and policies such as the Culture and Heritage Resources Protocol and the Commercial Backcountry Recreation Policy. The Forest Service co-chairs the Integrated Resource Planning Committee, which develops provincial policy, procedures and standards for sub-regional Land and Resource Management Planning.
The Forest Service actively participates on seven Inter-Agency Management Committees, which coordinate land use planning and resource management initiatives at the regional level. Forest Service staff also work with other ministries on a large number of local and landscape-level land use plans.
Land and Resource Management Planning (LRMP) originated with and replaces timber supply area planning in the Forest Service. It is an inter-ministry planning process that guides management for a full range of resources. Public, industry and local government representatives work with government resource managers to prepare land use recommendations.
The Forest Service is represented on all Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMPs). LRMP complements and contributes to the implementation of several other initiatives, including the regional planning processes, the Protected Areas Strategy, and the Forest Practices Code. LRMP is the sub-regional level in the provincial land use planning system.
LRMP participants develop resource management strategies, objectives and guidelines for the planning area. LRMPs are approved by the ministers of Forests, of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, of Environment, Lands and Parks, and other government ministries, as appropriate. Approval of the first LRMP in Kamloops was announced in May, 1995.
Eleven more LRMPs are currently underway, covering approximately one-third of the province. Most plans are in northern British Columbia; seven are in the Prince George region, four in the Northwest region, and one in the Kamloops region. Ongoing plans range in size from 600,000 to 8,300,000 hectares, and often correspond to Forest District boundaries. LRMPs will eventually be prepared for most of the province.
Inter-ministry delivery of the LRMPs will require cooperation and accountability. Inter-ministry committees at various levels coordinate the development, approval and administration of LRMPs. The Land Use Coordination Office and regional Inter-Agency Management Committees are responsible for overall direction.
The LRMP program will improve as participants gain experience, and as government implements this flexible, community-based component of the provincial land use strategy.
The Forest Practices Code provides a framework for landscape-level planning by introducing landscape units and objectives as a new strategic planning tool. Landscape units are based on physiographic features and are generally consistent with watershed boundaries. The units, themselves, range from 5,000 to 100,000 hectares, depending on the complexity of the landscape and the resources characteristics of the area.
Within a landscape unit, resource management and development activities will be coordinated, with consideration of a broad range of resource values. Ecological characteristics will be identified and form the basis of a management strategy for biodiversity.
Although the concept of landscape planning is not new, the combination of planning requirements under the Forest Practices Code necessitates a renewed approach to planning for landscapes. The Forest Service is working closely with the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks to clarify and consolidate landscape-level planning.
Operational planning is the next stage of resource planning. Operational plans are prepared for a variety of activities such as timber harvesting, recreation development, and range management.
The Forest Service is responsible for issuing and administering timber harvesting agreements and permits.
The Forest Act specifies forms of agreement by which the Forest Service may authorize timber harvesting. The number and type of timber harvesting agreements in the province is approximately:
Administering these agreements involves:
Approving operational plans
All harvesting activity is carried out in accordance with approved operational plans, which are guided by the management objectives and strategies set out in higher level plans for a timber supply area or tree farm licence. Operational plans are prepared in consultation with other resource agencies, other licensed resource users, and the public.
Cutting authorities
The cutting of timber on Crown land cannot take place without obtaining a cutting authority, in the form of a licence or permit. The cutting authority contains site-specific conditions governing timber harvesting, and specifies a timber mark, utilization standards, and the stumpage rates to be charged for the timber harvested.
The Forest Service is responsible for maintaining an effective and efficient forest road access network (see Table 5).
Activities include:
The Forest Service also acquires road rights-of-way through private properties for resource management purposes, and acquires and disposes of land for other ministry purposes. It also reviews, approves and monitors engineering activities carried out by forest licensees.
There are more than 38,000 kilometres of Forest Service roads in the province, including 3,800 major bridges and culverts, and more than 120,000 kilometres of licensees' operations roads.
Operational plans are developed for the range and recreation resources as well as for timber. Range plans include objectives for desired forage, wildlife species protection and livestock management. Recreation plans include the conservation of ecosystems in wilderness areas, visual corridors, and the maintenance and interpretation of recreation sites and trails, often in conjunction with volunteer groups.
Many other values are incorporated in different aspects of operational planning. For example, a pre-harvest silviculture prescription outlines plans for reforesting the harvest site, but it also includes details of how other values will be accommodated during timber harvesting.
Monitoring is carried out to ensure that the implementation of field operations such as timber harvesting and road construction are done in compliance with the approved terms and conditions.
The Forest Practices Code is a package of legislation, regulations, and guidebooks that govern forest practices in British Columbia. The code is intended to greatly improve forest practices, and to protect the long-term sustainability of all our forest resources. It will also increase the public's knowledge about the state of forest management in British Columbia.
Development of the code has involved consolidating and updating the many existing requirements for forest practices that were previously scattered through thousands of acts, regulations, policies and guidelines. Many new requirements were also developed. These requirements are defined at several levels, from provincial down to site-specific guidebooks.
The Act
The Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act is the legislative authority for the Forest Practices Code. It provides for mandatory provincial and regional requirements for forest practices, sets enforcement and penalty provisions, and specifies administrative arrangements.
The regulations
Regulations state the universal and fundamental forest practices that must be applied throughout the province.
The standards
The code allows for the establishment of provincial and regional standards, which expand upon regulations and provide the required level or measure of practice established by the chief forester. All of the standards originally proposed under the code have now become regulations or guidebooks. The chief forester has the authority to establish standards as the code evolves.
The guidebooks
Provincial and regional guidebooks provide guidance for the implementation of standards and regulations. They allow for site-specific interpretation, and become legally enforceable when inserted in plans, prescriptions, and contracts. Many have ecological or administrative divisions. Of the approximately 65 guidebooks being produced, 18 high priority ones were released soon after the act came into force. They cover:
Over the past year, there has been extensive public, stakeholder, and First Nations consultation on the Forest Practices Code. Input was collected through reader responses, Enquiry BC and ministry information lines, letters and submissions, open houses around the province, stakeholder workshops, and meetings with First Nations. Throughout the code's development, many additional meetings have been held with stakeholders. All of the input received has shaped further development and completion of the code.
The Forest Practices Board and the Forest Appeals Commission are new agencies established under the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act.
The Forest Practices Board was established in December, 1994. It has a mandate to:
The Forest Appeals Commission was established in May, 1995. It has a mandate to:
The Forest Service and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks will monitor forest practices to ensure they comply with the code.
If non-compliance with the code is discovered, the next steps include assessing the problem, conducting investigations, and deciding on enforcement options. Internal audits will also be used as a means of evaluating agency and industry performance, and the effectiveness of the code.
The Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act outlines compliance and enforcement provisions, including:
Enforcement options include:
In addition to these provisions, amendments to the Forest Act introduce performance-based timber harvesting. This makes approval of future logging activities contingent upon a company's satisfactory performance on current operations.
An Enforcement Branch has been established to:
Successful application of the Forest Practices Code will require effective training of government and industry staff. Training will be ongoing over the next few years, but initial training is especially critical. Over the past year, about 6,000 staff from the ministries of Forests, Environment, Lands and Parks, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and Attorney General have received training on the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act. Many training sessions were attended by major licensees as well.
Training on the code regulations has been provided to Forest Service staff, and Forest Service managers have received training on administrative law to ensure sound decision-making under the code.
A Training Secretariat has been created to coordinate all training within the Forest Service and to provide advice and training materials to industry.
Code evolution
To be successful, the code will have to respond to implementation realities and new scientific information. Revising and updating the code will be a continuous, ongoing function for the Ministry of Forests.
A multi-agency committee structure will be established in 1995 to oversee the code's evolution. The committee structure will provide a process for:
The Forest Service has been active in helping the government resolve issues with First Nations, and is working towards government's goal of increasing aboriginal involvement in all areas of forestry while land claim treaties are being negotiated.
British Columbia is committed to negotiating fair and equitable treaties with First Nations. The Forest Service is a key participant in this process, which includes Canada, British Columbia and the First Nations of the province. The negotiation of comprehensive treaties will build new relationships with First Nations, as well as clarify the nature and extent of First Nations and provincial ownership and rights associated with Crown land and forest resources.
The province is currently negotiating a modern, comprehensive treaty with the Nisga'a Tribal Council in northwestern B.C. As well, the province is negotiating an adhesion to the 1898 Treaty 8, with the McLeod Lake Indian Band involving their traditional territory north of Prince George. The new treaty process involves the British Columbia Treaty Commission which has accepted Statements of Intent from more than 40 First Nations indicating their readiness to enter into treaty negotiations with B.C. and Canada. Negotiations have begun with Sechelt and Champagne-Aishihik First Nations.
The Forest Service participates in many aspects of the treaty negotiation process, including:
As the treaty process evolves in British Columbia, the Forest Service's involvement in developing provincial policies and specific mandates is critical. Consultations and review of treaty negotiation mandates and associated issues occur through the Treaty Negotiation Inter-Ministry Committee. This committee provides strategic direction to working groups throughout the mandate development process. An Aboriginal Policy Steering Committee has been established within the Forest Service to provide advice and direction on pre-treaty and treaty issues.
Forest resource analysis
The Forest Service performs a variety of forest and range resource analyses on specific land parcels proposed for land selection during negotiation. Some of the more common types of analyses include:
The results of these analyses, and technical advice on the forest and range resource are provided to provincial negotiators.
Advice and support during negotiation sessions
Forest Service personnel from headquarters, regions and districts provide advice and support in the form of program information and resource use data to help assess the viability of various settlement options. Federal/provincial cost-sharing memoranda of understanding (MOUs)
The Forest Service is a key participant on the joint Federal/Provincial Working Group, which coordinates the application of the cost-sharing memoranda of understanding to treaty settlement costs. The Working Group develops joint planning estimates and provides a forum to share information. The Forest Service is involved in determining the following interests:
Consultations with forest and range industry and other resource stakeholders
The Forest Service participates in local and regional consultations regarding treaty issues with forest industry representatives, other resource stakeholders and a number of advisory committees. These consultations are handled at the provincial level by the Treaty Negotiation Advisory Committee. This committee and regional advisory committees provide critical forums for review of treaty issues and sectoral concerns.
Interim measures agreements prior to land claim settlement are designed to:
At a minimum, interim measures must address the province's legal obligations to First Nations. They can also establish a healthy working relationship between the Forest Service, First Nations and affected third parties. They are carried out within the existing legislative framework and are without prejudice to land claims. The Ministry of Forests has a number of means to accomplish interim measures goals:
Memoranda of understanding
Generally, memoranda of understanding are negotiated at a local level between forest districts and First Nations to provide a framework for cooperation.
By bringing First Nations into the resource management decision-making process, these agreements reduce the potential for confrontation over forest resource decisions.
These agreements operate within the existing legislative framework. Thus, they do not address issues of jurisdiction or ownership over lands and resources currently managed by the Crown. They do seek to include First Nations in resource planning to ensure that aboriginal rights are respected.
Currently, five memoranda of understanding have been signed, and twenty others are being negotiated.
Aboriginal forest advisors
There are 41 aboriginal forest advisor (AFA) positions in forest districts and regions around the province. Their job is to advise ministry staff on local aboriginal issues, develop programs and opportunities for First Nations, and promote communication among First Nations, government, and third parties.
Aboriginal forest advisers are preventing costly misunderstandings and bring people together at the community level for a more cooperative approach to resource management and development.
First Nations Forestry Council
The First Nations Forestry Council was formed in early 1993 to study and implement recommendations of the Task Force on Native Forestry. The council is made up of 12 First Nations representatives and 8 industry representatives. The council is charged with:
In February 1995, the council presented a strategic plan to the ministers of Forests and Aboriginal Affairs, detailing ways and means for government to address aboriginal participation in the forest sector. This has been released for public comment in the spring of 1995.
Joint ventures
The Forest Service encourages joint ventures with First Nations as a way of promoting cooperation and provincial economic health. When First Nations work together with industry, a unique opportunity exists to learn about each other's cultures and priorities.
Currently, many of the Small Business Timber Sales advertised under the bid proposals program (section 16.1 of the Forests Act) are bid upon jointly by First Nations and industry.
Planning
The Forest Service places a high priority on involving First Nations in forest planning processes. Such involvement can reduce conflict over land-use decisions by accommodating aboriginal concerns early in the planning process.
For example, the Forest Service supports First Nations involvement in the land and resource management planning process (LRMP) which can help ensure that First Nations concerns are recognized and respected in provincial land use decision-making.
Consultation with First Nations is a prescribed action in a variety of routine planning activities. For example, as a condition of their forest licenses, many tenure holders must now consult with First Nations when writing management plans for their operating areas.
Training programs
To help aboriginal workers develop forest management skills, the Forest Service administers a number of training programs:
Delgamuukw decision implications
The B.C. Court of Appeal decision on Delgamuukw v. The Queen (1993) declared that aboriginal rights are constitutionally protected, and as such must not be unjustifiably infringed upon by resource development activities.
As a result, the Forest Service is now legally obligated to avoid infringement of aboriginal rights where forest management activities are proposed. To fulfill this obligation, the Forest Service has a policy to consult with First Nations to identify aboriginal rights, and accommodate them during the planning process.
Interim measures policy tables
Both the First Nations Summit and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs have formed policy tables to discuss issues of interest. These policy tables propose interim measures actions such as legislative and policy changes.
Cultural heritage resources
The ministries of Forests and Small Business, Tourism and Culture recently signed the Protocol Agreement on the Management of Cultural Heritage Resources, which defines the roles and responsibilities of the two ministries and integrates heritage protection into Forest Service operations.
