Abstract
Since integrated management of British Columbia's resources became a provincial goal in the mid-1970's, land managers have struggled to achieve the optimum production of wood and wildlife from Crown forests. Little information has been available to explain how the management of forest stands and wildlife can be combined, and joint objectives for both resources have seldom been stated. Confusion and confrontation have often resulted. Although there is much knowledge that could aid integration of the management of timber with deer and elk, that knowledge has not been summarized in a format managers can easily use. This handbook is intended to provide, in one document, most of the information managers need to understand the interactions of forests, elk, and deer on British Columbia's south coast.
Improved management is needed because both wildlife and timber have high production potentials and demand from users is strong, but conflicts over land use are common. Coastal British Columbia provides the province's most productive deer habitat, and the only habitat for Roosevelt elk in Canada. It also has the country's most valuable stands of timber and its most productive growing sites. Logging and silvicultural activities affect a huge area each year. In the Vancouver Forest Region, for example, over 1000 km 2 were treated during the 1987-88 fiscal year alone (B.C. Ministry of Forests and Lands 1988). The harvesting and renewal of forests influence deer and elk populations greatly because the animals rely on forest vegetation for most of their requirements of life, including food and shelter. Some timber management practices, depending on where, when, and how they are applied, can damage habitat and reduce elk and deer populations. Other practices can improve habitat. Wildlife and forest managers, therefore, face important challenges in planning timber management programs that recognize deer and elk needs. Attempts at integrated management have often failed to resolve problems or exploit opportunities, however, because advocates of wildlife and timber could not agree on objectives or a management strategy.
Both government and the public want more from their forests and their resource managers. Provincial legislation governing the purposes and management of Crown forest land makes it clear that the provincial government expects good integrated management of forests and wildlife. Public concerns over the current state of resource management are heard loudly and clearly during opinion polls, such as those conducted for the Canadian Forestry Service (Decima Research 1986) and MacMillan Bloedel Limited (Goldfarb Consultants 1987). Yet, since the early 1970's, few modifications have been made to methods used to plan the management of wildlife habitat and timber. Change is long overdue.
Download Special Report Series 5 (complete document) (79014 KB)
Front Matter: Cover, Preface, Acknowledgements and Table of Contents (cover to page xiv) (611 KB)
Chapter 1: Introduction (page 1 to page 30) (8853 KB)
Chapter 2: Ecology of Black-tailed Deer (page 31 to page 64) (9706 KB)
Chapter 3: Ecology of Roosevelt Elk (page 65 to page 98) (9786 KB)
Chapter 4: Interactions of Timber Management with Deer and Elk (page 99 to page 132) (10328 KB)
Chapter 5: Techniques for Managing Habitat (page 133 to page 196) (16226 KB)
Chapter 6: Applying the Handbook to Habitat Management Planning (page 197 to page 238) (8369 KB)
Back Matter: Appendices, Literature Cited and Index (page 239 to end) (15194 KB)
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Updated April 20, 2007
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