• Critical caribou and grizzly bear habitat
A primary emphasis of management practices in critical caribou and grizzly bear habitat areas in this timber supply area is to maintain stable wildlife populations. The existing agreement between the Forest Service and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks regarding the critical habitat areas in the Quesnel Highlands and Boss/Deception Mountain area is to defer harvesting and to study methods of integrating timber harvesting and habitat requirements until the end of 2008. During this period, it has been agreed that timber harvesting would only be permitted for study purposes or under special circumstances. For the timber supply analysis, 11,111 hectares were deducted from the timber harvesting land base for critical caribou and grizzly bear habitat areas.
Target management objectives for this area are currently being considered in the Land Use Plan implementation process.
• Critical mule deer winter range
The Forest Service and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks are jointly developing management plans for critical mule deer winter range areas which occupy 96,704 hectares of dry-belt Douglas-fir forests within the timber harvesting land base. Timber harvesting has been restricted in these areas while these plans are being prepared. For the timber supply analysis, 27,500 hectares were deducted from the timber harvesting land base and special practices were required for the remaining area.
Target management objectives for these areas are currently being considered in the Land Use Plan implementation process.
• Practices in the special management zone
The special management zone in the 100 Mile House Timber Supply area includes areas with key resource values such as scenic viewscapes, back-country recreational opportunities and domestic watersheds where special management practices are required. The management practices defined for the timber supply analysis are the best estimates of the practices expected to be implemented in these areas. It is possible these estimates do not accurately reflect the practices that will eventually be implemented. This may result in an increase or decrease in the timber supply.
Target management objectives for this area are currently being considered in the Land Use Plan implementation process.
• Maintaining older forests
In the timber supply analysis, 15 per cent of the special management zone and the integrated resource management zone was required to be maintained as older forests greater than 150 years old, as specified by the 100 Mile House Timber Supply Area Management Strategy Report.
The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks also stresses the need to identify and establish networks of ecosystems and habitat types, including areas of older forests, with linkages between watersheds throughout the timber supply area. The areas where timber harvesting is restricted within the timber harvesting land base for stream buffers, environmentally sensitive areas, forests not feasible or economical to harvest, and areas required to meet the conditions for older forests may be adequate to create these networks. Selection management in Douglas-fir forests also maintains the characteristics of older forests and is expected to contribute to these networks. However, if additional area is required, this will reduce the area of mature timber in the timber harvesting land base.
Figure 7 illustrates the impacts of changing the area of older forests that is reserved from harvesting.
Figure 7 Impact of changing the requirements to maintain older forests
Target management objectives to maintain older forests are currently being considered in the Land Use Plan implementation process.
