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Coarse Woody Debris Working Group

    Recognizing the need to give field practitioners better direction about managing coarse woody debris (CWD), the Coast Forest Region established a regional CWD Working Group in November 1999. The CWD Working Group, includes representatives from the five major licensees, Small Business Forest Enterprise Program, Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada, Residue Value Enhancement Association, Residue Value Enhancement Association, Long Beach Model Forest, Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks.

    From 2000 to 2003, the Working Group will:

  • Explore, within the framework of the current utilization standards, cost-effective options to retain CWD on site at the time of harvest.

  • Explore potential sources of CWD which can be made available over a rotation.

  • Examine the need for CWD management guidelines, and develop CWD management guidelines where there is a need and where there are sufficient supporting data.

    • From 2000 to 2003, the CWD Working Group proposes to undertake two projects to address the above three points. The results from both projects will provide the background data required to discuss preparation of guide-lines for managing CWD.

    The document titled Maintaining Coarse Woody Debris in Post-Harvest Settings: Economic and Ecological Implications of Marking Non-Merchantable Logs After Bucking and Before Yarding is the plan for the first project, which comprises a pilot study to be undertaken in 2000/01 and the remainder of the project to be completed over the following two years. An overview of the second project is provided in Appendix I; a separate project plan will be developed for this project in the summer of 2000.

    Support/Consultation

  • Participation in reviews of Branch and revised Regional provincial CWD recommendations/strategy and in final resolution of regional issues regarding the later document.

  • Provided support to region and branch inventory staff on Vegetation Resources Inventory CWD methods/compilation.

  • Provide regional support on the application of the VFR Vegetation Resources Inventory data to address stand level biodiversity questions which may have direct application to landscape planning and TSR analyses.

      • New Initiatives

    • Explore the merits/feasibility of a modified operational cruise for the purpose of collecting dead wood data.

    • Research & Support on Biodiversity Issues : Stand Structure and Coarse Woody Debris or Dead Wood

    • Completion of data collection on two studies investigating trends in dead wood (downed and standing) volume, attributes and distribution in mature and old growth stands under clearcut with reserves and alternative silvicultural systems prior to and following harvest. Data analyses and draft report for one study.

      Publications:

      Validation of a Modified Operational Cruise Designed to Sample Dead Wood. Interim Working Document, Prepared for the TWF/INTERFOR Project Subcommittee of the Coast Forest Region CWD Working Group. (December 2001).

      Return to CWD Home.

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      Comments to: Denis Collins
      This page last updated: June 18, 2001
      URL: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/vanprojects.htm

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