The integrated forest management practices that were approved and implemented throughout the timber harvesting land base when the timber supply analysis was initiated are briefly described below. This listing is not inclusive, but reflects those key practices that were included in the timber supply analysis.
• Basic silviculture - British Columbia laws require that areas harvested and that are expected to produce timber in the future, must be reforested with ecologically acceptable species within a specified time frame. The typical silvicultural practice following clearcut harvesting is to prepare the site for planting; reforest by planting with a mix of species, or by relying on natural regeneration (primarily for deciduous species and some lodgepole pine stands); and if needed, control competing vegetation. It is assumed that the majority of the harvested areas will be restocked within four years of harvesting. In some situations, such as high elevation sites, restocking may take from five to seven years.
• Timber utilization - Timber that meets or exceeds the following size limits and is suitable for the manufacture of lumber or pulp, or in particular areas engineered, or wood products such as oriented strand board within particular areas, must be utilized.
• diameter at chest height:
- lodgepole pine, aspen and cottonwood: 12.5 centimetres
- spruce, true fir (balsam) and larch: 17.5 centimetres
• diameter at top: 10 centimetres for all species
Utilization standards for deciduous species also vary between pulpwood agreements. The maximum diameter that is currently utilized is 66 centimetres in both Pulpwood Agreement 13, which supplies the Chetwynd pulpmill, and Pulpwood Agreement 10, for the Dawson Creek oriented strand board plant.
• Forest health and unsalvaged losses - Timber losses due to wildfires, insects, diseases and blowdown are minimized as much as possible and damaged timber is harvested where feasible. Unsalvaged annual losses of coniferous timber to insects, disease, fire, and wind damage are estimated to be 44,000 cubic metres. Recent outbreaks of spruce bark beetle have led to focused harvesting activities in accessible, high infestation areas. Harvesting has also been focused on spruce forests in the Kiskatinaw plateau where root rot infestation is high. The estimated losses may not adequately account for these situations.
No significant information on forest health and unsalvaged losses for the deciduous species was available at the time of this timber supply review.
• Harvestable ages - Minimum harvestable age is defined as the time it takes for forests to grow to harvestable size which varies by tree species and site productivity. For deciduous species, the minimum ages vary from 60 years for aspen on good growing sites to 80 years for aspen and cottonwood on poor growing sites. For coniferous species, the minimum ages vary from 60 years for lodgepole pine on good growing sites to 150 years for spruce on poor growing sites.
• Fisheries, wildlife and biodiversity - Sensitive wildlife habitats and critical wildlife habitat areas which include black spruce, larch, and some of the lodgepole pine forests, were excluded from the timber harvesting land base for the timber supply analysis. Deciduous trees in mainly coniferous forests are occasionally left standing after harvesting to contribute to the biodiversity of the site. However, there is no direct accounting for biodiversity strategies in the timber supply analysis.
