Section 4 - Forest Management Initiatives Flashcards
What is ecosystem-based management?
An approach to forest management that places equal emphasis on maintaining ecosystem integrity and human well-being.
- has been implemented in the Great Bear Rainforest and on Haida Gwaii
What are the policy objectives of EBM?
- Protecting old growth, wildlife habitat, cultural values, and biodiversity
- Establishing EBM operating areas and land use objectives orders that protect FN cultural values, aquatic habitat and wildlife habitat, and support ecological integrity by maintaining the diversity and abundance of organisms at multiple scales
- Supporting human well-being through policies and initiatives designed to achieve social and economic benefits for FN and residents
- Using adaptive management and monitoring to understand effectiveness and changing information
What is the Coast Land Use Decision and when was it established?
A result of G2G discussions with local FN in late 1990’s and early 2000’s, a commitment to implement EBM and protect large areas of temperate rainforest. Est. 2006
- Provides zoning for protected areas, biodiversity areas, EBM operating areas
How were the EBM objectives established?
EBM objectives contained within the Coast Land Use Decision were legally established under two ministerial land use orders (LUO) under the Land Act. It is through land use orders that EBM is achieved.
- Great Bear Rainforest Order (GBRO)
- Haida Gwaii Land Use Objectives Order (HGLUOO)
What are forest professionals working within the context of EBM required to do?
Legal objectives are established in LUOs for the purpose of FRPA and forest professionals working within the context of EBM who must:
- provide results and strategies in their FSPs that are consistent with the legal land use objectives described in the LUOs
- work within a new policy and governance system that engages FN at many levels of planning
What are the three types of zones that have been established due to forest land protection and EBM implementation in Coastal BC (using several legal tools)?
- Conservancies (Under the park act or the protected areas of BC act)
- Special forest management areas (GBR only, under regulation in the new GBR Act)
- EBM operating areas (through legal objectives in ministerial orders (land use orders))
What are conservancies?
A new class of protected area to be managed and administered by the Minister of Environment.
- the Lieutenant Governor in Council designated them under the Park Act
- they maintain access for traditional uses by FN by allowing a wide range of low impact activities compatible with primary objectives described in each conservancy’s plan
- priority and balance of objectives may vary between individual conservancies depending on FN interests
What are BMTAs?
Biodiversity, mining and tourism areas.
- established in the GBR in Jan 2009 under the Environmental and Land Use Act for the purposes of maintaining biological diversity and FN social, ceremonial and cultural uses
- allows some industrial uses, but no commercial forestry or commercial hydro-electric power generation activities
Explain land use orders
Provide additional management direction to forest licensees and FSP preparers that has not been provided under another order or enactment.
Read about EBM operating areas** (RG 15.1)
The EBM operating areas for the GBR and Haida Gwaii areas have numerous objectives established under legal order, consistent with the LUOR. Who do these apply to and who is exempt?
- Legal objectives apply to forest agreement holders.
- in the GBR exemptions include woodlot licenses, community forest agreements, and a small number of non-replaceable forest licenses
What are the First Nations/Cultural objectives associated with EBM?
These objectives cover resources and cultural or archaeological features of particular importance to First Nations.
- The GBRO includes objectives for: aboriginal forest resources, aboriginal heritage features, resource/features identification, historically CMTs, aboriginal tree use, western yew
- The HGLUOO includes cultural objectives for: cedar stewardship areas, cultural feature identification, traditional heritage features, traditional forest features, cedar retention, western yew retention, CMTs
What are the aquatic objectives associated with EBM?
Fish habitat, watershed integrity, and water quality.
- The GBR includes aquatic objectives for: important fisheries watersheds, high value fish habitat, aquatic habitat that is not high value fish habitat, forested swamps, upland streams, active fluvial units
- The HGLUOO includes aquatic objectives for: type I fish habitat, type II fish habitat, active fluvial units, upland stream areas, sensitive watersheds
What are the biodiversity objectives associated with EBM?
Represent the full range of habitat, structures and ecosystems across the landbase to conserve biological diversity.
- the GBR includes biodiversity objectives for: ecological representation, landscape reserve designs, red-listed and blue-listed plant communities, stand level retention, managed forest and natural forest, restoration zones
the HGLUOO includes biodiversity objectives for: forested swamps, ecological representation and red-listed/blue-listed ecological communities
How are old forest targets met on Haida Gwaii?
- They are applied by BEC variant and individual site series
- Based on the bioregion as a whole but in the order have been implemented by landscape unit for administrative ease and to ensure even distribution of retention areas
- Where there is insufficient area of old forest in a landscape unit to meet required targets, the orders require the recruitment of younger forest to achieve the old forest targets over time
