Incremental Silviculture Strategy for BC

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Incremental Silviculture Strategy for BC
Larry Pedersen Chief Forester Ministry of Forests
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Presentation Agenda
1. Incremental Silviculture Strategy for BC 2.
Management Unit Strategies (FRBCs Forest Level
Analysis for Silviculture Investments initiative)
3. SH management planning implementation
system 4. Future directions
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The Need for Provincial Strategy
Past attempts by govt at developing strategies
were never completed 1980 - 1995 over 1
million hectares of incremental silviculture
treatments FRDA I and II audits identified the
need FRBC spending 80130 million/yr on
incremental silviculture 1999 Auditor Generals
report reiterated the need
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Purposes of the Provincial Strategy

• Part of stewardship of public forest land
• Provide general guidance for incremental
  silviculture investments
• Provide context for
• Management unit (TSA/TFL) strategies
• FRBC Resource Management and Regional
  investment plans
• Stand-level analyses

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Development Release History
Background Work 1997 1998 Based on 140
recent reports, analyses review of global and
local supply demand Review, field test
management unit strategy process 1998
Release implementation 1999
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Strategy Supports Achievement of Governments
Goals
Sustainable resource use Community
stability A strong forest sector
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Strategy is Based on Key Guiding Principles
BCs forests are important at all levels from
local to global. Stewardship and moral
obligations to future generations must be
met. Course of action must be taken that
minimizes risk and maintains options.
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BC Situation 1999 Forecast
Without intervention,future harvest levels
will fall 17 A 17 decline could mean a
5 reduction in GDP 46,000 direct and
indirect jobs lost Need management strategies
for wood quality habitat supply
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BC Situation Potential Supply
Future harvest levels can be increased to
approx. 75 million m3 Needs confirmation by
management unit analysis Quality Long
rotation management plus incremental
silviculture can have an upwards effect Need
to include forecasting methods for Habitat supply
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BC Supply vs. Global Demand

• Externally, there are plentiful sources of
  cheap fibre.

BC is likely to remain a saw-log economy.
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Working Targets
Minimize the anticipated interim reduction in
timber supply so that it is not less than 65
million m3/yr. Increase timber supply over the
mid-term to a long-term level of 75 million m3
/yr. Maintain the production of premium quality
logs at or above 10 of total harvest
volume. These targets will have to be achieved
in conjunction with managing for non-timber and
other environmental objectives. FRBCs volume and
quality goals contribute to attaining these
targets
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Major Silvicultural Strategies
TIMBER QUANTITY Increase use of alternative
silvicultural systems where suitable,
particularly commercial thinning Reduce
green-up ages Increase regenerated stand
volumes 20 Eliminate treatable backlog NSR
(Other non-silviculture strategies must also be
implemented e.g., inventories)
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Major Silvicultural Strategies (continued)
TIMBER QUALITY Initiate long rotation quality
management program for stands where harvesting
must be delayed Initiate a timber value-added
strategy  (combinations of spacing, pruning and
fertilization) Some habitat supply needs can
be achieved with the quality objective
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The Provincial Strategy
The interim strategy is a first step will be
refined over time Has successfully provided
much-needed guidance for management unit
strategies and Resource Management Plans
Defines broad general direction and
encourages general patterns of activities
Assumes in-depth management unit analyses will be
the basis for refined regional and provincial
strategies
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FRBCs Forest Level Analysis for Silviculture
Investments Initiative
3.0 million expended on the support and
development of management unit strategies One
of FRBCs key strategic performance measures - a
strategy for every management unit One of
FRBCs key success stories
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Purpose of Management Unit Strategies
Prioritize short, mid long-term silviculture
options to address identified issues Provide a
forward-looking planning and priority setting
context to support TSR base case assumptions
completion of backlog NSR/impeded area
programs explicit fertilization programs
explicit/implicit spacing programs Provide
context / direction for stand level prescriptions
and investments
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Two Types of Strategies
Type 1 - uses readily available info, such as
existing TSR analyses, reports and stand level
analysis Type 2 - uses readily available info
plus in-depth forest level modelling to develop
silviculture strategies Both Type 1 and 2
analyses are intended to produce specific harvest
level, timber quality and habitat objectives
Incorporate known code, HLP and commonly known
requirements for non-timber objectives (i.e.
OGMAs, WHAs, green-up, visual quality etc)
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Methodology
Strategies are developed by consultants under
contract to MoF HQ and regions or to TFL
licensees Basic process is to identify issues
and silvicultural opportunities then develop
prioritized cost-effective strategies that best
address the issues Usual workshop participants
are licensees, MoF region district staff, and
MELP staff
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Methodology (continued)
850 Workshop participants to date MOF 50,
lic. 40, Others 10 12 (7-23)
persons/workshop First opportunity many have
had to think beyond regs admin process
consider where and how silviculture affects
TSA issues clarify or identify management
unit specific objectives identify issues
and opportunities for silviculture regimes
investment
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The process involves reviewing the Composition of
the Base Case harvest
volume ('000 m3/yr)
Pinch point in the timber supply -- physical
shortage of timber -- minimum operable growing
stock -- harvest age and average diameter at
minimum
500
450
400
350
300
250
Existing stands
Managed stands (basic silviculture)
200
150
100
50
0
0
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA
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Designing a series of linked silviculture
treatments and investments over time
area ('000 ha/year)
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The fertilization program begins slowly, then
builds as suitable stands become available
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10
5
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA
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Evaluating treatment impacts i.e. Base Case
Incremental Silviculture
volume ('000 m3/yr)
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
Stand-level fertilization effect increases
volume in the long term
150
100
50
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA
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Choosing an incremental silviculture program that
best achieves objectives
volume ('000 m3/yr)
500
450
Base case incremental silviculture
400
8.4
350
300
250
Base case (basic silviculture)
200
150
100
50
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0
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA
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Progress on Completion of Forest Level Analysis
for Silviculture Investments
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Completed Silviculture Strategies atForest
Practice Branch Websitewww.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/sil
strat/
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Other components Habitat Supply
Review evaluation of current data, models,
techniques tools for habitat supply modelling
Development of info and approaches for type 1
2 Habitat supply decision support workshop (180
persons) Large habitat supply modelling project
started in southern BC use 150 K to leverage
5 M USFS information
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Related Activities

• timber supply training - 11 courses / 250
  students (MOF 50, Lic 25, consultants 10
  MOELP 10, Other 5)
• empowering planners and operational staff to more
  meaningfully contribute to the silviculture
  strategies and the TSR process

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Current Issue - Site Productivity Estimates
Site productivity estimates need to be
improved in order to design appropriate
silviculture strategies
Potential forecast with improved site index
estimates
Annual Harvest(m3/yr)
Value-oriented silv strategy?
Current site index estimates
Volume-oriented silv strategy?
Decades in Planning Horizon
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Near the end of the beginning
We have a good start Province, regions and
districts are defining strategic priorities and
direction to guide silviculture Good support
and buy-in for initiatives Excellent team work
and hard work by regions, districts, industry
and consultants to date A first version of
management unit and regional strategies for all
areas will be completed this year
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A Comprehensive Management System
Initiatives are in place or under-construction
for a complete management system for FRBCs
Sustainable Harvest objective Initiatives will
provide a documented and transparent process
for articulating regional strategic priorities
and direction translating strategies into RMP
plans and programs determining budgets fine
tuning the FRBC performance measures carrying
out activities, monitoring and reporting
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The future
Silviculture Strategies - a keycomponent of a
broader sustainable forest management plan
Comprehensive management plans with explicit
operating standards and silviculture regimes will
be the basis for for one-plan approval
streamlined plan development, approval
revisions reduction or elimination in legally
required stand level prescriptions (i.e. bSPs
and SMPs) clarity and rationale for budgets
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The future
Silviculture investments tailored to
specific forest estate condition growth
yield and inventory info forest harvest and
mgmt objectives A coherent strategy across all
planning levels - province, region, management
unit Only nearing the end of the beginning
ongoing refinement improvement A
comprehensive silviculture planning management
system for responsible and cost-effective
stewardship of a precious heritage
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Thank You
Special Thanks and acknowledgements Janet Gagne
- FRBC Larry Atherton and Associates Doug
Williams - Cortex Consultants Pat Martin -
MOF Tory Stephens - MELP Regional Co-ordinators
District and Industry staff
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA
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decades from now
Arrowsmith TSA