For at least 20 years, governments have known that British Columbia’s timber supply would decline in the future—we could not keep cutting at the rate we’ve been going. Now there is an urgent need for up-to-date information to review the timber supply and allowable annual cuts throughout the province.
A 1991 study completed by the Forest Service, A Review of the Timber Supply Analysis Process for British Columbia, examined the procedures which led to the determination of allowable annual cuts, and confirmed the need for change.
The study found that:
• existing allowable annual cuts were based on outdated information and management practices
• procedures failed to fully account for integrated resource management practices and protection of non-timber values
• procedures were far too time-consuming
• analytical techniques had to be strengthened
The study also showed that because of these procedural weaknesses, very few timber supply analyses had been completed since the early 1980s, with few allowable annual cut adjustments.
The Forest Service acted quickly on the study’s recommendations. The Timber Supply Review was initiated to assess short- and long-term timber supplies in light of current forest practices and integrated resource management goals.
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Renewing our forests, securing our future In British Columbia today, people are wrestling with one of the most complex and compelling issues of our time—the need to protect our environment and, at the same time, sustain our economy for present and future generations. In addition to the Timber Supply Review, the government has a number of initiatives to create positive change for British Columbia: • The new Forest Renewal Plan is already creating hundreds of projects across the province to restore and protect the health of British Columbia’s forests, create new forest jobs, and increase economic benefits from each tree harvested. In total, approximately $400 million in increased timber fees paid by forest companies will be reinvested each year in forest renewal projects. • The Forest Practices Code is ensuring new forestry standards and better management of the resource. • The Protected Areas Strategy is doubling British Columbia’s parks and protected wilderness—expanding parks and preserving pristine wilderness for our children’s future. • Through the work of the Commission on Resources and Environment and dedicated British Columbians, long-standing land-use debates are being resolved. The government has delivered land-use plans for Vancouver Island, the Cariboo-Chilcotin and the East Kootenay which mark important steps towards securing British Columbia’s future. |
