Volume 1 - Resource Management
Chapter 1 - Inventory

Policy 1.1 - Tree Farm Licence Inventory

Effective Date: 15-Feb-97
Updated: 15-Oct-97
Responsible Branch: Inventory and Forest Practices branches

Resource Management Volume Table of Contents | Amendment Log

Scope

This policy covers the inventory of forest, range, and recreation resources within tree farm licence boundaries.

Policy

Tree farm licence holders are responsible for conducting and maintaining inventories of timber, range, and recreation resources within their tree farm licence boundaries at their own cost as a condition of their licences even if there are other licence holders in the area. Licensees must provide inventory base data and results to the Ministry (Forest Act, s.35).

The Ministry will set the minimum acceptable standards for conducting inventories. These will be the standards used for the provincial inventory programmes. All management and working plans will contain commitments by the licence holder to upgrade all components of the inventories that do not meet the minimum Ministry inventory standards.

Licensee Responsibilities

Tree farm licence holders are responsible for the following activities:

Data Management:

  • acquiring and maintaining files of all basic support materials and background information necessary to conduct inventories or updates, including air photographs
  • creating digital graphics and attributes for all database files, and area/volume statistics for timber database files

Planning and Implementation:

  • developing long-term plans for carrying out inventories and updates
  • planning and carrying out timber inventories under a pre-approved sampling plan
  • planning and carrying out timber growth and yield projects in cooperation with the Ministry
  • consulting with the public in carrying out recreation inventories

Reporting:

  • providing to the Ministry, upon completion of an inventory, digital inventory information in a format compatible with Ministry systems and standards (including data for air and ground calls and samples)
  • providing a digital inventory update of graphics and attributes for all inventories, and area/volume statistics files for timber inventories by March 1 of each year or as specified by the Chief Forester

Ministry Support

The Ministry will provide limited support for the TFL inventory program as follows:

Regional Staff:

  • providing technical direction and training in planning and implementing inventories
  • providing financial support to TFL holders for initial digitizing of their inventories, subject to available funding and compatibility with Ministry systems. Level of support will be based on regional averages developed from provincial TSA re-inventories. (If funding is available, there may be cooperative inventory and growth and yield projects between the TFL holder and the Ministry.)

Branch Staff:

  • supplying basic forest, range, and recreation inventory data from the provincial database (if available)
  • supplying previous and new base maps for the licence area to support the digital conversion of the TFL inventory
  • supplying current stand volume equations and loss factors

Approval of Growth and Yield Methodology

Prior approval must be obtained from the Inventory and Research Branches whether licensees use their own or standard Ministry growth and yield methods for timber supply forecasts. Where licensees choose to use their own methodology, the onus will rest upon the licensees to prove that the results meet or exceed the quality that would have resulted using Ministry techniques. Supporting information must be provided.

Audit

Ministry staff may audit the technical accuracy of licensee inventories. The licensee will cooperate with Ministry personnel, as required, to assess and identify components of TFL inventories which do not meet Ministry standards.

References