• In the Northeast, forests and forestry activities cover up to 4.8 million hectares, including forest stands, road networks and drainage structures.
• The average annual revenue generated from the forest sector in Northeast B.C. is about $3 million.

Water Use in Forestry

• Approximately 16 per cent of all licensed surface water distributed for consumption in Northeast B.C. is used by the forest industry.
• The forest sector is allocated about 9.8 million cubic metres of licensed surface water per year.
• Most of the water used in forestry is associated with pulp mill facilities.

Water Stewardship Strategies

• Forest management in B.C. is governed by the Forest and Range Practices Act and its Regulations.
• Under the Forest and Range Practices Act, forest licensees are required to prepare Forest Stewardship Plans to achieve 11 objectives set by government. Five of these objectives are directly related to water and watersheds and involve:
• soils
• wildlife
• water, fish, wildlife and biodiversity in riparian areas
• fish habitat in fisheries and temperature-sensitive watersheds
• community watersheds
• B.C.'s Forest and Range Evaluation Program assesses the effectiveness of water quality objectives.
• The Province's Land Based Investment Strategy targets short-term natural resource investments to achieve environmental sustainability, including assessing and correcting drainage structures that obstruct fish passage.
• Specific protocols have been developed for evaluating water quality and riparian zones. Evaluation results for the Northeast Region are available at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/frep/index.htm
• The Forest Practices Board conducts audits and investigations regularly and issues public reports on how well industry and government are meeting the intent of B.C.'s forest practices legislation -- including the protection of water quality.

Media Contact:
Media Relations
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261