[Boundary Marking Guidebook Table of Contents]

Introduction

This guide has been prepared for consideration by the district manager in the establishment of boundary marking requirements for cutblocks, resource features, and sensitive areas within the Forest District.

The directions provided here can be applied throughout the province and should be carried out according to any requirements for worker safety prescribed by the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB).

Marking of boundary trees and establishment of cutblock boundaries

Timing

All cutting boundaries should be clearly marked in the field before a logging plan (see Logging Plan Guidebook) is referred to a resource agency or submitted to the district manager for approval.

Procedures

Marking

All cutting boundaries should be clearly marked with blazes or blue paint, enhanced with fluorescent orange flagging tape, at 5 m intervals. The boundary line should be visible from at least 5 m within and along the cutting area.

The marking for painted boundaries should be in the form of two horizontal parallel lines (at least 15 cm apart), 1.5 m from ground level facing the cutting area, with a clearly distinguishable mark on the base of the tree (as close as possible to the ground, on the downhill side of the tree).

For axe-blazed boundaries, the marking requirements are the same as for painted boundaries, with the exception that a single vertical blaze (approx. 30 cm long by 10 cm wide) should be used instead of two horizontal parallel lines.

Where it is impractical to mark trees because they are too small to be painted or axe-blazed, ribbons should be used.

Tree marking paint should be highly visible and durable enough to withstand variable weather conditions for at least three years after harvesting begins. Under certain circumstances, nevertheless, the district manager may require the licensee to remove ribbon and paint marks after operations have been completed. If necessary, lower tree limbs should be removed to ensure boundary marks are clearly visible.

As required, existing boundary lines should be remarked to ensure they are still visible.

In high snowfall areas, the boundary line should be marked above the snow line.

Dead trees along boundary lines that are to be removed for WCB reasons should not be used as boundary trees.

Establishment

All cutblock boundaries should be closed traverses (unless global positioning systems are used) with stations marked, and should be identified at least every 50 m and at distinguishable cutting boundary corners, unless otherwise specified by the district manager. Stations should be numbered and identified by metal or plastic tags or blazes, and should be readable for at least three years after harvesting has been completed.

Amendments to the cutting authority areas which result in boundary changes should be carried out according to the above guidelines. New boundaries should be tied to the established station markers and the old boundary markings blacked out.

Boundary marking trees should not be harvested. However, where approval has been given to remove a boundary tree, another tree should be chosen as a replacement.

Closed traverses should have a 1:100 (1%) standard of closure for scale-based tenures and 1:140 (0.7%) for cruised-based tenures. Where global positioning systems are used, each ground reference point should be within 5 m of its mapped location.

Marking of resource features and sensitive areas

Timing

The boundaries of resource features (e.g., riparian and wildlife habitat areas) and sensitive areas should be ribboned and painted in the field by the licensee before the plans for any forest operation (such as harvesting or silviculture) that adjoins the features or sensitive areas are referred to a resource agency or submitted to the district manager for approval. (see Riparian Management and Wildlife Habitat guidebooks for more information on these two specific resource features.)

Procedures

All boundaries for areas within a resource feature or sensitive area that is reserved from harvesting, should be delineated using the same requirements indicated above for boundary trees and establishment of cut block boundaries.

The words "Riparian Reserve Zone" bordered by black hatching should be printed on the flagging tape used to delineate the reserve zones of riparian management areas.

Where the silvicultural system or forest operation is the same for an area within a resource feature (e.g., riparian management zone) or sensitive area and the adjoining cutblock, no separate boundary delineation is required.

The boundary lines of an area within a resource feature (e.g., riparian management zone) or sensitive area having a treatment that is different from the adjoining cut block, should be delineated in the field using:

For areas proposed for winter operations, all streams that do not require a riparian reserve zone or a management zone should have the five meter machine buffer area, within which equipment is not permitted to operate, delineated on the ground using highly visible colored ribbons (other than fluorescent orange).

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