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British Columbia's scenic beauty is an invaluable resource. Our world
renowned landscapes are a part of our heritage, a source for enjoyment for
residents, and a foundation of our tourism industry.
Managing forest landscapes is the responsibility of the Ministry of Forests and
Range. Where logging, road building or other forest activities will affect
views of a forested area, Forest Landscape Management (FLSM) is used to assess
the visual quality of the site, and to mitigate visual impacts.
Process
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Regional Roles
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Peter Rennie
Landscape Forester
Kamloops
- Co-ordinates VRM activities and ensures consistency of
application between districts.
- Provide professional advice related to: visual resource
management issues, values, legislation, policy, standards and
practices;
- Visual management input to strategic and operational plans,
Timber Supply Reviews and other analyses;
- Visual inventory, setting visual objectives, visual design,
implementation,
- Effectiveness evaluations, monitoring,
- Visual and public perception research.
- Provides technical advice training and extension services.
- Review draft policies, procedures and standards.
- Review TFL management Plans.
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Visual Quality Objectives
Visual Quality Objectives (VQOs) are targets for
acceptable levels of visible human alteration of the landscape. They are
established through FRPA under the Government Actions Regulation (or potentially
through the Land Act).
VQOs are used in forestry to manage the visual impacts of roads, harvesting, and
other activities in Scenic Areas. These objectives are assessed from
significant public viewpoints and range from no visible change to large-scale
visible change based on the following definitions:
Illustrated below is the range of visual quality classes
recognized by the Ministry
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Preservation:
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Alterations are very small in scale; and not easily distinguished
from the pre-harvest landscape.
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Retention:
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Alterations are difficult to see; small in scale; and natural in
appearance.
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Partial Retention:
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Alterations are easy to see; small to medium in scale; natural and
not rectilinear or geometric in shape
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Modification:
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Alterations are very easy to see; large in scale and natural in its
appearance; or small to medium in scale but with some angular
characteristics.
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Maximum Modification:
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Alterations are very easy to see; and very large in scale;
rectilinear and geometric in shape; or both.
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For more information about Forest Landscape Management
please contact your nearest Forest Service Office.
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