Effective immediately, the new allowable annual cut for Tree Farm Licence 44 will be 800,000 cubic metres, chief forester Jim Snetsinger announced.

The new allowable annual cut reflects the reduced area of the tree farm licence. Since the chief forester's last determination, land has been removed from the tree farm licence for two community forest agreements.

Land was also deleted from the tree farm licence as a result of the Maa-Nulth Treaty that came into effect April 1. Under the treaty, 11,864 hectares of the tree farm licence area were transferred from the Province to the Maa-Nulth First Nations. The T'iitsk'in Paawats' (Thunderbird Nest) Protected Area was also formed.

Tree Farm Licence 44 covers about 142,000 hectares on west-central Vancouver Island, surrounding Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound. The majority of logging rights are held by Western Forest Products.

Quote:

Jim Snetsinger, chief forester:

"The new allowable annual cut I have determined not only reflects the reduced size of the tree farm licence, but also environmental and socio-economic factors. If the management regimes on the tree farm licence do not change, the information provided to me shows this harvest level could be sustainable for many decades."

Quick Facts:

* The chief forester's determination is an independent professional judgment based on information ranging from technical forestry reports, First Nations and public input to the government's social and economic goals.

* Under the timber supply review, the chief forester or deputy chief forester must determine how much wood can be harvested in each of the province's 37 timber supply areas and 34 tree farm licences at least once every 10 years.

* A new allowable annual cut may be determined earlier in response to abnormal situations, or postponed for up to five years if an allowable annual cut level is not expected to change significantly.

Learn More:

The chief forester's allowable annual cut determination is available online at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts or from the South Island Resource District office in Port Alberni.

Contact:

Cheekwan Ho

Public Affairs Officer

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

250 356-5261

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect