Appendices

Appendix A

Classification process and classification forms

The following is a detailed explanation of the lakeshore classification process including management goal selection, lakeshore data collection, lake classes and LMZ boundary determination.

• The lake classification team (LCT) is established by the ministry. The LCT may be strictly an inter-agency technical team or a planning team composed of agencies, proponents and interest groups.
• The lakeshore management goals are established (as a starting point, use the lakeshore management goals specified in this guidebook). The intent of the management goal selection is to provide clear direction on how a lake or group of lakes will be managed.
• The LCT should agree upon a priority list of lakes for classification, using proposed operational plans as a starting point. The LCT should determine what existing lake information is available and what information needs to be collected (Tables 1 and 2).
• The LCT selects preliminary management goals for each lake by considering the three criteria, strategic objectives in higher-level plans, existing uses (public and commercial) and ecological significance when selecting a lakeshore management goal.

  Sources for the three criteria are:

  i) existing regional, subregional and local plans.
  ii) domestic water use, recreation use, public, private residential and commercial use facilities and the recreation opportunity spectrum.
  iii) rare, endangered species or habitats, unique ecological or physiographic associations.

• Resource agencies and forest development proponent(s) collect lake and LMZ attribute information. Tables 1 and 2 contain the essential minimum lakeshore attribute information and lakeshore data. Table 3 provides a description of the public recreation, fishery and wildlife/biodiversity attributes. Further attribute information may be required to be collected. The following outlines some of the sources for information which should be used in order to complete Tables 1 and 2:

  i) Obtain all available aerial photographs and topographical/forest cover maps (1:20 000 to 1:50 000).

  ii) Identify and code all lakes that will be classified. It is recommended that each lake that is to be classified be identified by its name (if one exists) and a watershed code number. The streams and lakes in B.C. that have received official names are included in the Gazetteer of Canada. The official name and local name, if different, should be recorded on Table 2.

  Reference: Anon. 1985 The Gazetteer of Canada: British Columbia. Canadian permanent committee on geographical names. Canada Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. Ottawa, On. p.281

  Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks has developed a watershed coding system for the hierarchical numbering and cataloguing of watersheds, streams, and lakes within the province. Most lakes and streams depicted on 1:50 000 scale maps have assigned watershed codes contained or discussed in the following documents available from both Water Management and Fisheries Branch. Where a code number is available it should be entered on Table 2.

  Reference: Anon. 1988 British Columbia Ministry of Environment Watershed Code Dictionary. BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks.

  Reference: Anon. 1988 A Guide to the Hierarchical Watershed coding system for British Columbia. Water Management Branch, Ministry of Environment.

  For water bodies not identified with a Watershed code number because of map scale, interim guidelines, called the Interim watershed Locational Guidelines, have been developed and are available from MOELP.

  iii) Obtain existing fisheries inventory data from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and BC Environment. Habitat inventories by fisheries agencies may have been already carried out in areas where harvesting is proposed. Sources of fish use information include Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and consultant survey reports. Excellent sources of data on salmonid distribution are the Stream Information Summary System (SISS) catalogues and the updated version of SISS, the Fish Information Summary System (FISS). Both SISS and FISS catalogues are available in DFO Divisional Offices and MOELP Regional Offices. MOELP also has a program of stream and lake inventory, and may have habitat-use information on file for game fish species for the lakes in question. This information is available in MOELP Regional Offices.

  iv) Collect fisheries information. The information must be collected by a method consistent with the inventory sampling standards outlined by the Resource Inventory Committee.[5] Field information on fish populations in streams, lakes, and wetlands must not only be collected by the appropriate methods, level of effort, and times of the year, but also must be recorded and documented by using consistent, standard formats. Information standards should be consistent with those recommended by the federal-provincial Resources Inventory Committee (RIC) so that data may be collected, analyzed, stored, and retrieved systematically.

  v) Contact BC Environment and the Conservation Data Centre for information on "identified wildlife" and "species at risk," and on rare habitats.

  vi) Contact Water Branch for information on licensed potable water intakes and community watersheds.

  vii) Contact Ministry of Forests for recreation inventory information, including recreation features, structures and visual landscape values and recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) values.

• The LCT should complete the Table 1 "Lake data" and Table 2 "Lakeshore management area attribute checklists."

• The overall ratings of the lakeshore attributes are not based on the weighted average ratings of the components of an attribute (Table 1). The components within the lakeshore attributes are separate. They do not all necessarily contribute equally to the overall attribute rating. The highest overall attribute rating (VH-VL) for any of the attribute categories (e.g. public recreation) should generally indicate the lake class (See Table 4, for an example of preliminary classifications).

• The LCT should then weigh this preliminary lakeshore classification against the management goal, collected lakeshore data and the technical expertise of the lake classification team to arrive at a lakeshore classification. [6]

• The LCT proposes the LMZ boundary using the direction provided by the management goal and lake class guidelines and the physical and ecological attributes of the LMZ. The LMZ boundary should be defined on a 1:20 000 or larger scale aerial photograph and/or 1:20 000 or larger scale NTS or BCGS map.

• The LCT should then organize some manner of public review (e.g., operational plan public viewing, public workshops, public notices) of the lake classifications, and as a result of the input, the LMZ goal and/or the lake classification may be revised. The type of public review at this stage in the lake classification process depends on the amount and type of public involvement that has taken place to this point.

• The MOF is responsible for keeping a file copy of all classified lakes and completed Tables 1 (Lakeshore Attribute Checklist) and 2 (Lakeshore Data) for each lake in each Forest District office.

Table 1. Lake data

Table 2. Lakeshore management area attribute checklist

Table 3. Lake attribute description

Public recreation:

Recreation/visual attributes are based on information that can be obtained from the Recreation/Landscape inventory maps in the Forest District office. The order of priority for protection of the values depends on the feature significance, management class and visual landscape sensitivity.

Fisheries:

In the context of lakeshore management, lake classification for fisheries values is required to conserve fish stocks, protect present and potential lake habitat for fish, and to allow for a variety of angling experiences. Specifically, the LMZ around a lake acts to maintain pre-harvest water quality for aquatic life, while protecting spawning, rearing, nursery and food production areas.

Wildlife/biodiversity:

The greatest levels of protection are provided for threatened and endangered species that use lakes or lakeshores, and for rare or special wildlife habitats. Information on threatened and endangered species, and special wildlife habitats can be obtained from the BC Environment and the Conservation Data Centre. In other lakes, the level of protection is related to the natural disturbance regime for the area. In NDT 1 forests (see Biodiversity Guidebook), lakes were naturally surrounded by old and mature forests so class C lake guidelines are recommended. In NDT 4 forests, lakes were naturally surrounded by uneven aged Douglas-fir forests that were regularly modified by wildfires, so the guidelines recommend a class D designation with selection harvesting preferred. In NDT 3 forests, wildfires commonly burned up to the lakeshore so in these forests, a class E designation is recommended with provision for the retention of sufficient structure to provide nesting, perching and cover for wildlife, and later on, security cover for fish.

Table 4. Examples of potential lakeshore classification

Appendix B: Visual quality objectives (Visual landscape inventory)

VQOs are the means by which the Forest Service identifies the level of alteration that would be acceptable on a viewscape. Five classes of VQOs are prescribed. These are described below:

Preservation — The preservation VQO requires that no visible change occur in the landscape from forest development practices.

Retention — The retention VQO requires that management activities or alterations not be visually apparent. The goal is to repeat the line, form, colour and texture of the characteristic landscape.

Partial retention — The partial retention VQO requires that alteration remain visually subordinate to the characteristic landscape. Repetition of the line, form, colour and texture is important to ensure a blending with the dominant elements.

Modification — The modification VQO allows alterations to dominate the original characteristic landscape. However, alterations must borrow from natural line and form to such an extent and on such a scale that they are comparable to natural occurrences.

Maximum modification — The maximum modification VQO permits a dominant change to the original landscape, particularly in the foreground and middle ground. Alterations may be out of scale or show detail quite different from natural occurrences. In the background, changes should appear to be natural occurrences.

Appendix C: Resource inventory committee standards

1. Guide for Selection of Standard Methods for Quantifying Sportfish Habitat Capability and Suitability in Streams and Lakes in British Columbia.
2. Lake Survey Procedures Manual.
3. Recreation Inventory Standards and Procedures.