Volume 1 - Resource Management
Chapter 4 - Recreation Management

Policy 4.2 - Forest Landscape Management

Effective Date: 01-June-96
Updated: 15-Oct-97
Responsible Branch: Forest Practices Branch

Resource Management Volume Table of Contents | Amendment Log

Scope

This policy covers forest landscape management on B.C.'s public forest lands, which include all provincial forest lands and all other provincial Crown lands outside parks and settled areas, such as non-municipal and rural settlements.

Policy

Forest landscape management will:

  • recognize visual resources as part of the full spectrum of outdoor recreation values and opportunities
  • maintain or enhance visual resources in keeping with the concepts and principles of integrated resource management (IRM)
  • carry out forest landscape management according to concepts, principles, procedures, responsibilities, and guidelines set out in the Forest Landscape Handbook and the Recreation Manual
  • involve the public in forest landscape management

Definitions

Forest landscape management: the identification and assessment of visual resources and the consideration of those resources in the integrated resource management of provincial forests (not to be confused with other uses and meanings of the term "landscape" as they apply to other fields such as landscape ecology or conservation biology).

Visual Resource: the aesthetic quality of natural and cultural landscapes where the natural and man-made elements are in harmony.

A visual quality objective: a visual condition to be achieved in the course of forest development, timber harvesting, and silvicultural practices.

Visual Quality Objectives

Forest landscape management will recommend visual quality objectives for visually sensitive areas and assist in the IRM planning process to establish and incorporate visual quality objectives into Ministry and licensee plans.

Guidelines

Provincial and regional landscape guidelines will be established to:

  • provide a basis for assessing the implications of visual quality objectives on available timber volumes, timber harvesting costs, and ecological and pest management issues
  • encourage site-specific landscape analysis and design

Licensee Responsibilities

Tree farm licensees are required to carry out landscape inventory, analysis, design, and implementation within their licence areas and their areas of operation (Forest Act, s. 35 (1) (d) (ii)).

All other licensees, including Small Business Forest Enterprise Program operators, will carry out landscape analysis and design as required, and operate in accordance with forest landscape management plans prepared by the Ministry.

References