• Improved timber recovery from harvested areas
Currently, all lodgepole pine timber larger than approximately 15 centimetres in diameter at the stump must be removed from harvested areas. For other species, the minimum diameter is about 20 centimetres. If all species were utilized to a 15 centimetre diameter, the available timber supply would increase, without increasing the area that is harvested.
Further study is needed to estimate the additional timber volume that could be realized through this practice, assess whether the resulting timber products would justify the increased harvesting cost, and evaluate the biological effects of removing this additional amount of organic material from these areas.
• Harvesting residual pine timber
In some of the forests within the 100 Mile House Timber Supply Area, only the Douglas-fir timber was harvested in the past, leaving some pine trees. The pine trees could now be harvested without damaging new regeneration. This would provide additional timber volume that was not included in the timber supply analysis.
• Intensive silvicultural treatments
In some circumstances, intensive silvicultural treatments (e.g., juvenile spacing, fertilization) that increase tree growth and the long-term timber supply can also increase the short-term timber supply.
The Timber Supply Review was designed to assess the timber supply impacts of current practices, thus the range of intensive silvicultural treatments that might be implemented in the 100 Mile House Timber Supply Area were not examined. Further analyses are required to examine the potential opportunites for intensive silvicultural treatments, and the implications.
• Commercial thinning
Although commercial thinning is not currently practiced in the 100 Mile House Timber Supply Area, approximately 16 per cent of the forests within the timber supply area are between 30 and 80 years and may be candidates for this treatment. This practice may provide additional timber volume in the short-term. Operational trials of commercial thinning and other similar options are currently being considered to evaluate this opportunity. It is also expected that the Forest Renewal Plan will encourage these types of initiatives.
Widespread commercial thinning may affect the long-term timber supply because the timber harvested in the short-term may reduce the amount of timber that is available to harvest from the same sites in the future. The quality and value of the remaining timber, however, should be improved through commercial thinning. Further trials and assessments are required before this practice is widely implemented in the 100 Mile House Timber Supply Area.
