Forest Practices Code Transition

1
ForestPractices CodeTransition

• Protection of Environmental Values Rod Davis
• Manager, Ecosystem Planning and Standards
• Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

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How are environmental values currently protected
by the Code?

• Wildlife, biodiversity, fish and water are
  currently managed and conserved through several
  Code provisions including
• ungulate winter range
• wildlife habitat areas for identified wildlife
• wildlife habitat features (nests, dens and other
  sites)
• old growth management areas
• wildlife tree retention
• riparian management areas
• timing windows measures
• temperature-sensitive streams, and
• community watersheds and water quality objectives

3
What has changed for transition?

• We still have the same environmental provisions
  for wildlife, biodiversity, fish and water.
• What has changed is the decision-making authority
  MOF, MWLAP and MSRM have authority in
  accordance with
• their ministry mandates for resource management
  or planning, and
• government policy direction

4
What is MWLAP's responsibility?

• Within governments policy limits, it is the
  Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protections
  responsibility now to establish or identify
• ungulate winter range within the existing
  budget for timber supply impacts
• wildlife habitat areas for identified wildlife
• wildlife habitat features
• timing windows measures to conserve fish
• temperature-sensitive streams, and
• water quality objectives

5
MOF MSRM authority related to environmental
provisions

• MOF District Manager is now the sole
  decision-maker on various regulations
• making things known to inform licensees
  preparing forest development plans
• authorizing any harvesting in old growth
  management areas
• authorizing road locations in community
  watersheds
• MSRM is responsible for establishing old growth
  management areas

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Earlier changes Summer 2002

• Some changes that eliminated joint-ministry
  authorities were already in place (since July
  2002)
• No joint-approvals for forest development plan
  Ministry of Forests only
• No need for MWLAP Designated Environment Official
  agreement for forest development plan-related
  assessments
• No Designated Environment Official agreement
  needed to approve a variance of riparian zone
  width

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What has changed site plans

• Site plans replace silviculture prescriptions
• no government approval required
• needed to maintain protection for key values
• Wildlife tree retention (WTR)
• Default performance standards
• Riparian
• Maintain trees in riparian management zones

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Why the change for Transition?

• Government direction to
• streamline eliminate joint-ministry decisions,
  and
• move toward results-based approach
• MWLAPs role
• mandate to establish objectives and clear
  direction for wildlife, fish and water
• focus on
• setting objectives
• developing guidelines
• monitoring and enforcement

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• End of WLAP Presentation onProtection of
  Environmental Values
• withRod Davis