Related reports

The Ministry of Forests Act requires the Forest Service to publish three reports for presentation to the Legislative Assembly:

• A five-year forest and range resource program (this report) is to be updated annually, to describe the government's proposed priorities, methods and schedules for management and improvement of the province's forest and range resources.

• An annual report is required, to record and evaluate the performance of the Forest Service in implementing the program set out in the previous year. It is to describe accomplishments, expenditures and revenues, and the level of management of the resources entrusted to the Forest Service.

• A forest and range resource analysis was required in 1979, 1984, and has been required at least every ten years since then. The most recent analysis was released in April, 1995. This analysis describes the conditions, management and potential future uses of the forest and range resources, to enable the legislative assembly to determine overall priorities, and long-term objectives.

These three documents provide a continuing public record of the Forest Service's goals and performance in forest and range management. Their purpose is to promote public awareness and understanding of the management of British Columbia's forests and range lands.

The Forest Service provides copies of the five-year forest and range resource program free of charge. Copies are available from:

Ministry of Forests
Public Affairs Branch
Suite 300, 1675 Douglas Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 3E7
Telephone: 387-5255
FAX: 387-8485

Copies of the recently released 1994 Forest, Range and Recreation Resource Analysis, and the latest annual report, are available from:

Crown Publications Inc.
521 Fort Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 1E7
Telephone: 386-4636
FAX: 386-0221

As of April 1995, the Forest Service was organized into four divisions, six regional offices, 43 district offices, and 20 branches in headquarters.

The four assistant deputy ministers and the director of the Public Affairs branch report directly to the deputy minister. The following components of each division report to the respective assistant deputy ministers:

• Operations division
  • Cariboo region (5 districts)
    
  • Kamloops region (7 districts)
    
  • Nelson region (7 districts)
    
  • Prince George region (8 districts)
    
  • Prince Rupert region (7 districts)
    
  • Vancouver region (9 districts)

  • Business Design branch
    
  • Enforcement branch
    
  • Protection branch
    
  • Resource Tenures and Engineering branch

• Forestry division
  • Forestry Division Services branch
    
  • Range, Recreation and Forest Practices branch
    
  • Research branch
    
  • Resources Inventory branch
    
  • Silviculture Practices branch
    
  • Timber Supply branch

• Management Services division
  • Audit Services branch
    
  • Financial Management branch
    
  • Human Resources branch
    
  • Information Systems branch
    
  • Technical and Administrative Services branch
    
  • Valuation branch

  • Legal services (Ministry of Attorney General)

• Policy and Planning division
  • Aboriginal Affairs branch
    
  • Corporate Policy and Planning branch
    
  • Economics and Trade branch
    
  • Integrated Resources Policy branch

1996/96 Estimates

$67,292,984
Corporate services: provides for senior executive direction and coordination of central ministry services including personnel, finance, audit systems, accommodations, communications, technical services and public information of other ministry initiatives.

$303,443,002
Forest resources management: provides for the management of the provincial forest and land base at provincial, regional and district levels. Costs related to the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program are recovered from the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program Special Account.

Resource planning and allocation: $77,647,596 - this sub-vote provides for land use planning; compiling and maintaining information about forest and range lands; compiling and maintaining information about aboriginal rights over forest and range lands; and research and development associated with resource utilization;

Resource use: $191,777,460 - this sub-vote provides for tenure administration and other ongoing forest land administrative activities; operations administrative support; the development, maintenance, deactivation and rehabilitation of roads, trails and bridges; the activities associated with reforesting lands destroyed by fire, insects or disease since 1987; and the operation of tree nurseries and the seed centre; and

Monitoring, enforcement and audit: $34,017,946 - this sub-vote provides for the monitoring, enforcement and audit of forest practices and revenue administration and the audit of industry performance.

$127,086,309
Forest investment: provides for the activities that enhance forest resources to increase and improve wood supply, range lands, recreation opportunity and habitat.

Investment: $94,086,309 - this sub-vote provides for stand tending, silvicultural activities and reforestation of lands denuded by pests and fire prior to 1987; range and recreation land enhancement; research and development associated with land enhancement; land information; seed orchards and forest health activity; and

Forest Resource Development Agreement (FRDA): $33,000,000 - this sub-vote funds all activities that qualify for cost sharing under the FRDA II agreement. FRDA II is a five-year (1991 to 1996) federal/provincial agreement to share costs associated with increasing the value and volume of the forest resource.

$497,822,295 Total