Being available only on-line facilitates keeping the manual up to date. Users can be assured that they are looking at the most current version. A "change log" is included so users can quickly determine where and when information has changed.

The purpose of the manual is to promote best practices and to document formal procedures. Its scope is limited to those activities under the mandate of the Silviculture Practices Section of the Forest Practices Branch. This mandate broadly includes all activities related to forest establishment, forest health and forest stand management. More specifically, the section’s mandate includes:

• developing or revising silviculture-related legislation at the request of the Minister of Forests;
• developing for the Chief Forester’s approval a provincial silviculture strategy to ensure that government's goals are achieved;
• in co-operation with forest regions and districts, developing methodologies for preparing regional and management unit silviculture strategies;
• developing provincial silviculture policies, procedures, operational standards and practices;
• providing advice and guidance to forest district staff and licensees to ensure successful establishment and maintenance of forests to a free-growing stage;
• advising on stand management practices leading to the development of the desired future forest profile (e.g., stand management prescriptions, juvenile spacing, pruning, fertilization, and site productivity estimation methodologies);
• tracking, reporting upon, and in some cases managing forest health problems and impacts;
• developing contract documents and procedures for silviculture operations delivered by the ministry; and
• developing standards agreements for incremental silviculture operations performed by others on Crown forest land under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Forests.

This manual is designed to work in concert with forest practices code guidebooks, the ministry’s Policy Manual, and other web sites maintained by the ministry. Rather than duplicate or overlap such material, links to related websites are included as appropriate.