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. LMZs diversify the accessibility.

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.