Forests
The government of British Columbia is protecting more old-growth forests and enhancing biodiversity by establishing another 27 old growth management areas.
British Columbia’s newest old growth management areas all lie within the Whistler Landscape Unit of the Sea to Sky Natural Resource District and cover 7,061 hectares. This represents about 18% of the 39,039 hectares of Crown forested land base within that landscape unit.
The establishment of old growth management areas helps protect the biological diversity of old-growth forests by ensuring that stands from different ecosystem types are protected and land use objectives are met. These areas are excluded from commercial timber harvesting, which helps preserve plant ecosystems, wildlife habitat and cultural values.
There are currently over 49,000 old growth management areas in B.C., covering almost 3.1 million hectares. A total of about 4.5 million hectares of old-growth forest are protected in British Columbia within old growth management areas, provincial parks, national parks, ecological reserves, land conservancies and recreational areas.
The creation of old growth management areas reflects the B.C. government’s ongoing commitment to manage land use and resource development responsibly, protect old-growth forests, promote biodiversity and preserve valuable ecosystems for the enjoyment of all British Columbians.
Quick Facts:
- A landscape unit is a natural resource planning area that may cover up to 100,000 hectares. A landscape unit’s boundaries are defined according to topographic or geographic features, such as a watershed or a series of watersheds.
- The Sea to Sky Natural Resource District covers about 1.1 million hectares of land on B.C.’s south coast: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dsq/
- The Whistler Landscape Unit is just north of Howe Sound within the Sea to Sky Natural Resource District and covers 94,131 hectares of land.
- Over 49% of the Sea to Sky Natural Resource District is designated as parks, protected or conservation areas.
- Communities in the Sea to Sky Natural Resource District include Whistler, Pemberton, Mt. Currie, D’Arcy, Lions Bay and Squamish.
Learn more:
For a Sea to Sky Natural Resource District Landscape Unit Key Map:
For Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ Strategic Land and Resource Planning webpages:
- Click here: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/SLRP/
- And here: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/natural-resource-use/land-use/land-use-planning-and-objectives
For an interactive map of B.C.’s natural resource districts:
- Choose this link: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/maps/regdis/regdismap.pdf
