On March 13, 1995, the government of British Columbia announced a Land Use Plan for the East Kootenay region which includes the Invermere Timber Supply Area. This Land Use Plan increased the Protected Areas where commercial timber harvesting will not be permitted to 16.5 per cent of the East Kootenay region. Sustainable resource development was designated for 74 per cent of the area within the following zones:
• Integrated Resource Management Zone (55 per cent)
• Enhanced Resource Development Zone (7.7 per cent)
• Special Resource Management Zone (11.3 per cent)
Broad management objectives that cover all three resource zones include:
• sustainable timber harvesting and related forestry, mineral and other sub-surface resource exploration and development, and sustainable cattle grazing will proceed
• tourism, recreation (motorized and non-motorized), guide-outfitting, trapping, hunting, fishing and agro-forestry will proceed
• government regulations and standards—including British Columbia’s Forest Practices Code—apply to all resource activities in the zones
• resource development, and the sites on which it occurs, will be locally guided in a manner which respects sensitive values
Until the East Kootenay Land Use Plan is fully implemented and practices are adjusted in the field, the actual timber supply impact of the plan cannot be measured. This Timber Supply Review will be used as the foundation for determining the actual impacts of the Land Use Plan. The next Timber Supply Review will be based on experience with the Land Use Plan gained during the implementation period.
For this Timber Supply Review, the Land Use Plan will provide the chief forester with an expression of government’s commitment to achieve the Crown’s social and economic objectives for the region and the Invermere Timber Supply Area.
During the implementation of the Land Use Plan, if it becomes apparent that the timber supply has been modified to such an extent that the allowable annual cut is no longer consistent with the Plan, the chief forester is prepared to reassess the timber supply and to redetermine the allowable annual cut based on Section 7 of the Forest Act. The chief forester is also prepared to investigate the possibility of implementing other more expedient procedures under the Forest Act to adjust the allowable annual cut if necessary.
In any case, it may be possible to assess the timber supply impacts in the Invermere Timber Supply Area before the maximum five year period required by the Forest Act.
