The public is invited to review and comment before Nov. 5, 2012 on the draft land use order to establish more than 23,000 hectares of old growth management areas in Chilliwack District.

Old growth management areas (OGMAs) protect the biological diversity of old growth forests. The ministry is proposing to establish OGMAs in the following landscape units: Alouette (2,415 hectares), Fraser Valley South (1,479 hectares), Hatzic (5,272 hectares), Pitt (5,569 hectares), Stave (5,072 hectares), and Widgeon (4,003 hectares).

Protecting biodiversity and key resource values reflects the B.C. government's policy of managing land use and resource development responsibly. Establishing OGMAs also provides important benefits to ecosystem management and protection of water quality. Provincewide, there are approximately 25 million hectares of old growth forests with around 3.7 million hectares fully protected - an area larger than Vancouver Island.

Written comments on the draft order can be sent, before Nov. 5, 2012, to:

Enrique Sánchez, RPF
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
46360 Airport Rd.
Chilliwack, B.C.
V2P 1A5
Enrique.Sanchez@gov.bc.ca

The draft land use objectives order and maps are available online at: http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/slrp/legalobjectives/advertisedLUORs.html

Copies of the proposed land use objectives draft order, background reports and maps showing the location and boundaries of the landscape units and proposed old growth management areas are also available at:

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations - Chilliwack District Office
46360 Airport Rd.
Chilliwack, B.C.
V2P 1A5

Media Contact:

Brennan Clark
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations