A review of land use planning around Burns Lake has determined that altering land use objectives in the area would provide little benefit to the region’s timber supply and increase the risk to important environmental values, Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson said today.

A science-based review was a commitment in the ministry’s mid-term timber supply action plan, Beyond the Beetle, to ensure to ensure that the plans are still meeting their original intent (in light of the changes the beetle infestation has made).

Carried out in 2013, the Lakes science-based review was the first of several assessments that are taking place in areas hardest hit by the mountain pine beetle. The goal of these reviews is to determine if there are opportunities to amend land use plans in a manner that would increase timber supply during the mid-term, when harvest levels will be at their lowest due to the impact of mountain pine beetle.

The Lakes review determined that amending old growth management areas would have adverse effects on wildlife, environmental, social and recreational values and would not produce enough additional timber to have a positive impact on local mills.

The review included comprehensive consultations with First Nations, the local land use planning table, forest licensees, the Nadina Woodlot Association, the Village of Burns Lake and the Regional District Bulkley-Nechako. Most parties did not support changing land use objectives at this time and instead endorsed increased monitoring of the land use plans to help inform any future amendments.

The ministry has committed to a monitoring program to assess the continuing effectiveness of land use objectives in the Lakes Land and Resource Management Plan. A progress update on that work is expected in fall 2015.

Quotes:

Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations -

“As we look at ways to mitigate the effects of the pine beetle outbreak, it's crucial to consider all the values on the landscape, not just timber harvesting. In this case, it was clear that the cost of altering land use objectives in the Lakes outweighed the benefits.”

John Rustad, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation and MLA for Nechako Lakes -

“Since chairing the 2012 Special Committee on Timber Supply, I am pleased that government acted on the recommendation to review land use objectives - I think it’s important that all possible sources of future timber supply be considered.”

Media Contacts:

Greig Bethel
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261

BACKGROUNDER

Lakes Land Use Objectives review - a technical summary

During summer 2012, the Special Committee on Timber Supply conducted public meetings in 15 communities and reviewed over 650 submissions before finalizing its recommendations on actions provincial government could take to enhance the mid-term timber supply.

In October 2012, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson released Beyond the Beetle: A Mid-term Timber Supply Action Plan, which provided government’s response to the Special Committee’s recommendations.

The ministry agreed with the need to periodically review and update land use plans and began establishing monitoring committees for land and resource management plans in areas hit hardest by the mountain pine beetle. The review of land use objectives in the Lakes Land and Resource Management Plan found that:

• The removal of all land use constraints in the Lakes timber supply area would increase the mid-term timber supply from 500,000 cubic metres to about 600,000 cubic metres per year. About 90% of that increase would have to come from Old Growth Management Areas (OGMAs).
• About 65% of the OGMAs overlap three key values - First Nation cultural heritage values and grizzly bear and caribou habitat. Stakeholders did not support changes to OGMA designations that could compromise these values.
• Increasing timber harvesting in the remaining 35% of the OGMA areas that do not overlap other values would provide an estimated 30,000 cubic metres a year; however this would also put biodiversity attributes at a higher risk.
• However, there is potential for a slight increase to timber availability by harvesting visually sensitive landscapes in a way that decreases wildfire risk in areas close to communities, an idea that many stakeholders endorsed.

Media Contacts:

Greig Bethel
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261