There are 20 Local Resource Use Plans* within the Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area which are being developed and implemented in consultation with local stakeholders. These plans contain specific localized guidelines which direct forest management practices within these areas.
In addition to the forest cover requirements listed previously, the following forest management practices are presently being applied throughout the timber supply area.
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Readers are encouraged to review the Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area Timber Supply Analysis and the Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area Socio-economic Assessment for more detailed information. |
Wildlife/biodiversity - Harvesting on some cutblocks is designed to maintain biodiversity and promote the development of a range of habitats. Wetlands and streams have buffers on each side where timber is permitted to be harvested only by special practices, if at all.
Basic silviculture - British Columbia laws require that areas that are harvested and expected to produce timber in the future must be reforested with ecologically acceptable species within a specified time frame. At present, the clearcut silvicultural system accounts for about 75 per cent of the harvesting within the timber supply area. Reforestation is achieved by a combination of natural regeneration and planting, with regeneration delays of five to eight years.
Harvest ages - For analysis purposes, minimum harvesting ages were identified for the tree species found in different ecosystems within the timber supply area. These ages vary from 72 years for lodgepole pine on good growing sites, to 126 years for cedar and hemlock on poor growing sites.
Cutblock layout - Most clearcut blocks presently being approved in the Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area are under 20 hectares in size; the average is 10 hectares. Salvage of pest and fire damaged stands, or the use of partial-cutting harvesting systems, may result in blocks which exceed this size. The areas left between harvested blocks should be proportional to block size and connect ecosystems to allow wildlife movement and provide habitat for species that require forest cover. Cutblock size may be further limited in wildlife winter ranges and visually sensitive areas.
Avalanche paths - Forests over 20 metres tall are retained along at least one side of avalanche paths. The area that is retained must be large enough to form a viable cutblock.
Timber utilization - Merchantable timber is used to a 10 cm diameter top and a 30 cm stump height, for commercial species of the following size or greater:
• 12.5 cm diameter at chest height for lodgepole pine and whitebark pine; and,
• 17.5 cm diameter at chest height for all other species.
Soil conservation - Harvesting layout follows provincial guidelines, which limit the amount of land which can be occupied by roads, landings and skid trails. It is estimated that an average of 11 per cent of future harvested areas will become unproductive and will not be reforested. Due to an error, only two per cent of the existing logged area was removed from the timber management land base to account for roads, landings and skid trails, instead of 11 per cent. However, this error should not affect the short-term timber supply forecast.
Viewscapes - Buffers of unharvested timber are normally maintained adjacent to recreational and heritage trails.
Protection - Forest losses due to wildfire, insects, diseases and blow down are minimized as much as possible. An average annual loss of 67,900 cubic metres is assumed from the following sources:
• 25,800 cubic metres to wildfire;
• 15,000 cubic metres to insects;
• 2,100 cubic metres to blow down; and,
• 25,000 cubic metres to diseases (primarily root rots).
