The Forests for Tomorrow program was set up to respond to the catastrophic wildfires and the mountain pine beetle epidemic.

The program was introduced by government in 2005 with an initial amount of $161M being allocated towards this program over four years.

The program is aimed at improving the future timber supply and addressing risks to other forest values through the re-establishment of young forests on land that would otherwise remain under-productive. The program focuses on land that is primarily within the timber harvesting land base yet outside of forest industry obligations.

The program emphasizes surveying, site preparation and planting. These treatments are guided by strategic level program planning, seed supply planning, silviculture strategies and timber supply analyses.

The up-front overview surveys and program planning, will formulate a clear and full picture of a cost-effective program and budget profile. It is anticipated that this will be a long term program with an annual budget that is projected to be 53.9 million by 2008/09, remain at this level, and then gradually decline in latter years as critical work is completed and NSR areas have been reduced to levels that do not pose serious timber supply problems.

The initial priority is aggressive reforestation of the 2003 and 2004 wildfires and brushing in Timber Supply Area (TSA) and Tree Farm License (TFL) management units most affected by the MPB infestations.

Following BC’s Feb 2005 request for a cost-sharing partnership with the Government of Canada, the federal government made a payment of $100 million to B.C. to assist the Province in meeting its costs to combat MPB spread and mitigate damage. BC’s MPB Action Plan serves as the cornerstone of the B.C. government’s coordinated response to the MPB infestation. The Province has distributed the $100 million across activities consistent with the MPB Action Plan and the federal government’s priorities, these activities are:

• Community Diversification and Stability
• Natural Range Barrier Mitigation
• Fuel Management
• R & D Wood Products
• Parks and Protected Areas MPB Mitigation
• Spread Control
• Inventory
• R & D Bio-Physical
• Ecosystem Restoration

Descriptions of each activity and delivery methods, the synergies with other funding programs and anticipated three year and ten year outcomes can be found in the Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency Response – Canada-B.C. Implementation Strategy.

In 2006, the Government of Canada has committed a total of $200 million to work with British Columbia, to assist and support communities and First Nations to combat the spread and address the impact of the unprecedented MPB infestation. The federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program pursues three main objectives:

• controlling the spread of the beetle,
• recovering economic value and creating new economic opportunities, and
• protecting communities and forest resources.

In March 2007, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $24.8 million in the Mountain Pine Beetle Program. Of this amount, $23.1 million was allocated to measures to control the spread in British Columbia and $1.7 million to protecting communities and forest resources against the risk of wildfire, all spent in fiscal 2006/07.

The next instalment of funding for MPB was announced on June 8, 2007, $39.6 million (http://www.ominecacoalition.ca/docs/June-8-MPB_NR_FO-backgrounder.pdf) which includes:

$26 million to be provided through Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) this year for efforts to control the spread of the beetle;

$6.5 million from NRCan this year for actions to protect communities, including First Nations communities, and forest resources from wildfire threats in the zone affected by beetles;

$6 million to be invested in geoscience projects over the next two years to encourage new economic activity in energy and mineral resource exploration by the private sector; and $1.1 million this year to support the development of options for recovering the economic value from timber killed by beetles.