Volume 1 - Resource Management
Chapter 2 - Silviculture

Appendix A for Policy 2.22 - Treatment Priority Guidelines for Impeded & Backlog Areas

Effective Date: 30-Apr-96
Responsible Branch: Forest Practices Branch

Resource Management Volume Table of Contents | Amendment Log

The following guidelines outline the recommended order of priority for treating impeded and backlog areas. Deviation from this ranking may be required to appropriately address higher level plans or local social, environmental, or economic considerations.

1. Impeded areas (SR- pre-October 1, 1987)

Conduct surveys, brushing, or spacing treatments to ensure area remains SR and achieves desired objectives and obligations.

Note: In some cases, spacing of overstocked stands may be a lower priority than treating NSR areas.

2. Backlog areas- January 1, 1982 to September 30, 1987

Conduct appropriate surveys (if not already done) to establish baseline information upon which to prioritize areas for treatment, considering:

  • other resource values
  • high values for wildlife, recreation, water, environmental quality, or resource conservation; should existing stocking be accepted? i.e.: is treatment acceptable/desirable? is existing stocking level justifiable?
  • site class
  • good, medium, poor, low
  • location
  • high visibility to public versus small isolated remote locations
  • proximity to manufacturing facilities
  • stand condition
  • damaging agents
  • competitors
  • total stems
  • dominance
  • growth limiting factors
  • light, moisture, nutrients
  • ground conditions
  • as it relates to worker or machine access (topography, slash, windfall, brush, residuals, snags)
  • travel distance
 
  • access
  • good 2 WD to non existent
  • project size
  • large to very small
  • history
  • type of denudation
  • logging
  • fire and pest
  • Note: Other things being equal, logging should be given higher priority than natural disturbances.
  • amount of previous silviculture investment
  • protection of previous expenditures
  • time to quit
  • response to previous treatment(s)
  • risk
  • fire
  • pest
  • cattle / wildlife
  • loss to other land uses
  • timber supply effect
  • will timber supply be enhanced by addressing the backlog relative to other treatments
  • cost
  • relative to anticipated success

3. Backlog areas- pre-January 1, 1982

(i) Identify good and medium sites first, then poor and low sites, which do not include:
  • inoperable areas that are untreatable due to inaccessible or uneconomical conditions
  • areas logged by a partial-cut silviculture system designed to regenerate naturally
  • NSR areas with an average tree age < 12 years and stocking levels - current well spaced minimum stocking standards (MSS) as per FPC Establishment to Free Growing Guidebooks
  • NSR areas with an average tree age - 12 years and stocking levels - 60% of current MSS as per FPC Act- Establishment to Free Growing Guidebooks
(ii) Confirm that indicated site productivity is correct.
(iii) Conduct appropriate surveys (if not already done) to establish baseline information upon which to prioritize areas for treatment, considering: all items mentioned in 2.

Return to policy 2.22, Backlog Management