The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is inviting public review and comment until March 9, 2013, on a public discussion paper released today as part of a comprehensive timber supply review of the 100 Mile House timber supply area.

The 100 Mile House timber supply area's current allowable annual cut of 2 million cubic metres was increased by 50 per cent in 2006 from the previous determination set in 2002, to facilitate accelerated harvesting of mountain pine beetle-killed timber.

The base case presented in the discussion paper shows that by continuing to concentrate the harvest in beetle-attacked stands and transitioning to lower volume stands, the current harvest level can be maintained for the next seven years before declining by about 43 per cent to a mid-term harvest level of 865,000 cubic metres per year.

The projected long-term harvest level of 1.4 million cubic metres per year is slightly higher than the allowable annual cut in place prior to the mountain pine beetle epidemic.

Public feedback on the discussion paper will be considered by the chief forester before he sets a new allowable annual cut.

The 100 Mile House timber supply area covers 1,237,626 hectares, with only 662,225 of these hectares available for timber harvesting. The forests of the 100 Mile House timber supply area are diverse with a wide range of resources including timber, forage, non-timber forest products, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and tourism opportunities.

Communities within the timber supply area boundaries include 100 Mile House, Clinton, Lac La Hache, Forest Grove, 70 Mile House, Lone Butte and Bridge Lake.

The chief forester's allowable annual cut determination is an independent professional judgment based on information such as technical forestry reports, First Nations and public input regarding the government's social and economic goals.

Under the timber supply review, the chief forester must determine how much wood can be harvested in each of the province's 38 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.

To view or download a copy of the discussion paper, visit the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations forest analysis and inventory branch website at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/tsa/tsa23/index.htm

Contact:

Thomas Winterhoff
Media Relations
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-2133