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Beyond the Beetle – Managing BC’s Forest for Value and Sustainability

2014 SISCO Winter WorkshopFebruary 26, 2014

Dave Peterson, RPFADM Tenures, Competitiveness and

Innovation Division& Chief Forester

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New Buzz from an Old Saw• Current Mountain Pine Beetle picture• Mid-Term Timber Supply Action Plan• Further Transformations Ahead• Questions

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Mountain Pine Beetle

4

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

140.0

160.0

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

Pine

Vol

ume

Kill

ed (m

illio

ns o

f cub

ic m

etre

s)

Year

Entire ProvinceTimber Harvesting Land Base

Current Estimate of Observed Annual Red-Attack (2013*)

Current Estimate of Projected Annual Red-Attack (2013*)

*2013 Publication: 1999-2012 Aerial Overview Surveys and BCMPB.v10

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Non-THLB (45%)

Non-THLB IMPACTED (6.5%)

THLB (41%)

THLB IMPACTED (7.5%)

9.5 billion cubic metres of sawlog in BC at the start of the infestation

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MPB and Mid-Term Timber Supply• By-partisan MLA Committee visited 15

communities and reviewed 650 submissions, in summer 2012

• Committee produced a unanimous report to legislature with recommendations to enhance mid-term timber supply in beetle-impacted areas

• FLNRO Minister Thomson responded with Beyond the Beetle: A Mid-term Timber Supply Action Plan

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Beyond the Beetle Action Plan

1. Preserving the Integrity of BC’s SFM system• Respect First Nations interests, certifications and BACs

2. Land Base Issues• Examine marginal forest types for potential• Conduct science-based review of land use plans

3. Forests Practices Considerations• Enhance local area silviculture strategies• Continue addressing forest health, climate change, tree

improvement, fuel management

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Beyond the Beetle Action Plan, cont.

4. Other AAC-Related Issues• Update forest inventories in MPB-impacted areas• Update AACs in impacted areas, and consider new

information, partitions and salvage potentials 5. Forest Tenure Issues and Interests

• Increase the diversity of area-based tenures and consider conversion of volume to area-based

• Continue the work on tenures that promote fibre utilization and fibre-based AACs

6. Burns Lake specific

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2010 2060 2110 2160 22100

10,000,000

20,000,000

30,000,000

40,000,000

50,000,000

60,000,000

70,000,000

80,000,000

90,000,000

Province

Interior

Pine units

Coast

Projected Harvest Forecast Provincial TSAs and TFLs

(June, 2013)

harvest m3/year

Current AAC 77.4 million

year

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Further Transformations Ahead

• Managing the community-specific impacts of reduced fibre supply

• Increasing the level of fibre utilization, both from standing timber and from harvest residuals

• Enhancing the value generated from BC’s forest products

• Supporting the production of innovative bio-products• Increasing the long-term participation of First Nations

and communities in the forest sector

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Further Transformations Ahead, cont.

• Modifying the AAC determination process and AAC allocation system to reflect declining supplies

• Improving land base security for the forest sector and other forest users

• Increasing the levels of public and private investment in the forest resource in BC

• Maintaining competitive market conditions through the transition period

• Adapting silviculture regimes and prescriptions to reflect evolving biological and social objectives

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BC’s Bio-economy Transformation Council• Collaborative initiative between government,

industry and research community• Co-chaired by industry and government• Built on 2012 MLA Bio-economy Committee• Vision – BC is a world-leader in the new bio-

economy• Established 6 Working Groups

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Questions ?