Recreation Resources

On January 1, 2006 the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts (MTSA) took over responsibility for forest recreation sites and trails from the Ministry of Forests and Range.

Recreation, one of the eleven resource values identified in the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), consists of two components:

1. Recreation Resource Management - the identification, protection and management of the Provincial forest recreation resource;
2. Recreation Use Management - the provision of safe, sanitary, socially acceptable and environmentally sound recreation sites and recreation trails for public use.

Currently there are 1200 sites and 650 trails managed by MTSA. There are three categories of recreation sites and trails:

1. Managed with fees,
2. Managed without fees, and
3. User maintained.

Effectiveness Evaluation Project

The purpose of the Recreation Effectiveness Evaluation Project was to collect baseline information on the current state of Forest Service recreation sites in British Columbia. An evaluation of 120 randomly selected sites across the province was conducted in 2004. During 2005, this information was analyzed to determine the effectiveness of forest recreation site management policies and practices.

The evaluation attempted to answer the following question:

Are Forest Service recreation sites across British Columbia meeting baseline standards for facilities and maintenance, and able to provide safe, sanitary and environmentally sound recreation experiences?

Overall, the study results suggest that Forest Service recreation sites are generally meeting the objectives of the recreation program; however, at the individual site level, a number of issues related to safety, sanitation, facilities and maintenance, environmental quality and site design were identified as requiring future attention.

• Effectiveness Evaluation Project Final Report (coming soon)

Resources

The following are Recreation related resources:

Hint: If you have not found what you need in this Resources section, try using the Resource Finder to search for the information.