The Kootenays has two new allowable annual cut (AAC) levels for Tree Farm Licences located in the Arrow Lake and Slocan Valley areas.
Arrow Lake Area- Tree Farm Licence 23
The new AAC for the TFL is 382,800 cubic metres. This is a 7% reduction from the previous AAC, while remaining above the average annual harvest level of the past 12 years.
The new level reflects adjustments made to account for the removal of the Incomappleux Valley Conservancy area and to account for lower harvest performance on slopes greater than 50%.
Reductions were also applied to account for unstable and potentially unstable terrain, increased wildlife-tree retention, and the disposition of 90,000 cubic metres of unharvested volume.
To maintain sustainable forestry and deter overharvesting in lower sloped areas, the new determination includes three partitions:
* a maximum of 306,200 cubic metres per year (80% of the AAC) can be harvested from stands on slopes less than 50%;
* a maximum of 19,100 cubic metres (5% of the AAC) may be harvested from stands defined as old forest; and
* a maximum of 363,700 cubic metres (95% of the AAC) may be harvested from stands that are not defined as old forest.
The TFL overlaps the territory of 13 First Nations, all of whom were consulted during the timber supply review process. The deputy chief forester also sought and considered public and industry input.
Slocan Valley Area- Tree Farm Licence 3
The new AAC for the TFL is 56,100 cubic metres. This is a 30% reduction from the previous AAC, while remaining in line with the average harvest level in the past 12 years.
The new level reflects adjustments made to account for lower harvest performance on slopes greater than 50%. Reductions were also applied to account for unstable and potentially unstable terrain, increased wildlife-tree retention and the disposition of 100,000 cubic metres of unharvested volume.
To maintain sustainable forestry and deter overharvesting in lower sloped areas, the new determination includes three partitions:
* A maximum of 33,700 cubic metres per year (60% of the AAC) can be harvested from stands on slopes less than 50%.
* A maximum of 7,300 cubic metres (13% of the AAC) may be harvested from stands defined as old forest.
* A maximum of 48,800 cubic metres (87% of the AAC) may be harvested from stands not defined as old forest.
TFL 3 comprises 78,091 hectares in the West Kootenays, about 40 kilometres north of Castlegar, near the village of Slocan. The TFL overlaps the territory of 12 First Nations, all of which were consulted during the timber supply review process. The deputy chief forester also sought and considered public and industry input.
“Both of those reductions are roughly in line with what the historic harvest level has been, meaning that the new level actually reflects pretty close to what harvesting has been occurring in recent times on those units annually.” said Deputy Chief Forester, Albert Nussbaum.
“The challenge is not really the level; I think it’s the direction within that to get the cut evenly distributed across the land base.”
“The cuts are coming down and there’s a reason for that. It’s to ensure that the cuts are sustainable and also the management practices on these units is constantly changing as the public’s expectations for the land base changes and the public has asked for more protection and more reservation of timber and that gets translated into forest management practices because it’s a public resource.”
Background Information
The Province and First Nations have worked with industry to defer harvest of at-risk old-growth forest while work progresses on long-term approaches to old-growth management in the Kootenay-Boundary region. As outlined in the AAC partitions, some harvesting of old forests continues outside of deferral areas.
The deputy chief forester’s AAC determination is an independent, professional judgment based on information ranging from technical forestry reports, First Nations consultations, input from the public and the government’s social and economic objectives.
Under the Forest Act, the deputy or chief forester must determine the AAC in each of the province’s 37 timber supply areas and 34 tree farm licences at least once every 10 years.
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