The Province’s Forest Inventory Program will be reviewed to ensure it accurately reflects the changed nature of British Columbia’s forests over the last few years, Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson announced today.
He made the announcement at the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals Conference.
“We have a robust forest inventory program, but it’s been 10 years since the program was last reviewed, and since that time, we’ve seen significant changes to our forests, most notably from the mountain pine beetle epidemic and wildfires,” Donaldson said. “Having a reliable inventory is important to garner public trust in how we manage our public forests.”
A five-member panel will be conducting the review and submit its report with recommendations, by Sept. 30, 2018.
The panel will examine the forest inventory program model and will provide strategic direction, given changing technologies and the impact of these changes on multiple users. It will explore B.C.’s current forest inventory in depth, and will interview individuals both within and outside government who:
- collect information for growth and yield models; and
- support forest stewardship decisions, such as determining allowable annual cuts, landscape planning, wildlife management, prepare forest stewardship plans and make investment decisions in B.C.’s forests.
“An accurate forest inventory is essential for forest professionals to make sound decisions to sustainably manage B.C.’s forests. Our members passed a resolution in 2016 asking us to advocate for improved growth and yield data so we are pleased and supportive the government is taking this action,” said Christine Gelowitz, Association of B.C. Forest Professionals’ CEO.
Panel members include Clark Binkley, Bill Bourgeois, Valerie Lemay, Ian Moss and Nick Reynolds. Each member brings a unique perspective – from education and research, to First Nations engagement, user requirements, use evaluation and information collection.
A backgrounder follows.