Visual quality
Two letters from members of the general public ask the Timber Supply Review to place a higher emphasis on viewscapes than had been provided in the past. They cite recreation and tourism as important industries for the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Timber West questions whether 23 per cent of the TSA needed to be assigned to visual quality objective areas when 23 per cent of the islands' total land base was already assigned to parks and ecological reserves.
Forest practices
Five writers from the general public and timber industry urge the chief forester to adopt only harvesting and silviculture practices that are not damaging to the site or to the environment. Their suggestions about harvesting range from stopping clearcutting to using selective logging wherever possible.
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks staff urge the chief forester to adopt the following:
1. provide wider buffers on estuaries, lakes and streams, especially where recreational fisheries are involved
2. maintain 12 per cent representation of all habitat types across the landscape, ideally through a system of biodiversity corridors
Managing old growth for the future
Several writers suggest that timber harvesting be focussed on second-growth stands, reserving old growth for as long as possible.
Three writers request that some high quality old-growth stands be put aside for future generations to harvest.
Harvest full timber profile
The Queen Charlotte Islands Independent Forestry Association and the Village of Port Clements support harvesting the full timber profile. They suggest that experience has shown that small local operators can successfully work in marginal areas.
Partitioning the allowable annual cut
Five letters—one from the Village of Port Clements and the others from the forest industry—recommend the chief forester partition the cut, effectively setting a separate, lower allowable annual cut for lower quality stands. They suggest this approach could help preserve old growth.
Better utilization
Two loggers urge the chief forester to ensure that all wood, including alder, be fully utilized wherever logging occurs.
Anticipate future losses to Forest Practices Code and Protected Areas Strategy
Many writers who support the exclusion of the Haida Nation’s 14 "protected areas" also urge the chief forester to consider the impact of the Forest Practices Code and Protected Areas Strategy on timber supply. While some writers express concern about further reductions due to these initiatives and the impact of these reductions on the timber and processing industries, the majority of writers are concerned for other reasons. These writers suggest that if there is any chance the long-term harvest level will be reduced at a later date due to these initiatives, allowance should be made for that in the present allowable annual cut determination. They urge the chief forester to err on the side of caution and maintain a timber supply for the industry into the future.
Structure of the Timber Supply Review process
Share the Rock suggests in their 1993 letter that an independent body be established to evaluate the outcome of the Timber Supply Review. In their recent letter, the Village of Port Clements recommends a 10-year Timber Supply Review timetable to allow for better preparation and input. The Queen Charlotte City/Skidegate Advisory Planning Commission and one general public respondent state that the public input process used for the Timber Supply Review was not adequate.
