Part A: Ministry of Forests and Range
Highlights of the Year
The past year was filled with challenges for British Columbia's forest sector.
The mountain pine beetle infestation, increasingly competitive international markets and weak economic conditions on the Coast focused the ministry's resources and continued to test the industry's ability to adapt and grow.
But there were many accomplishments as well. British Columbia played a key role in developing the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy
to help protect communities and accelerate improvements to the provincial and national wildfire infrastructure. The ministry
also continued its fuel management initiative to protect B.C. forests from wildfires and prepared 60 community wildfire protection
plans. As well the BC Competition Council submitted its report on how to make the forest sector more globally competitive,
and for the first time in nearly 10 years an end to the softwood lumber dispute is in sight.
The ministry has increased the allowable annual cut in areas affected by the mountain pine beetle to gain value from these trees before they decay; extensive single tree treatments have also been carried out to minimize the spread of the infestation into Alberta. The Province also announced a New Relationship with First Nations — a relationship based on reconciliation, recognition and respect. This understanding helped facilitate the signing of another 29 forestry and range agreements/opportunities that share timber access and revenue with First Nations.
Other progress towards the ministry's goals and objectives in 2005/06 included the following:
Sustainable Forest and Range Resources
- Continued transition to full implementation of results-based forest practices under the Forests and Range Practices Act and introduction of the Forest and Range Practices Act Resource Evaluation Program.
- Released a report on the Future Forest Ecosystems of BC, examining how to manage the stresses of climate change, wildfire events, bark beetle infestations, and other agents of ecological change.
- Established a Climate Change Task Team to look at the effects of climate change on B.C.'s forestry resources.
- Launched Forests for Tomorrow projects to reforest productive areas impacted by fire and mountain pine beetle, including:
- taking aerial photos of mountain pine beetle affected areas to assist with silviculture planning;
- re-planting 348 hectares of fire-damaged plantation; and
- surveying 40 000 hectares of forest affected by the 2003 wildfires, prescribing 10 000 hectares of same for planting and growing 10 million seedlings.
Sustainable Forest and Range Benefits
- Supported successful research and development of new products and processes to improve the profitability and marketability of beetle-attacked wood.
- Awarding major forest licences to use beetle wood to support OSB and industrial pellet production.
- Worked to improve forest industry safety with the establishment of two safety officers in the ministry and BC Timber Sales.
- Continued implementation of policy changes associated with the Forestry Revitalization Plan, including timber reallocation.
- Signed 33 forestry agreements with First Nations to increase their participation in the forest sector. This brought the total of First Nations with agreements to more than 100.
- Changed Interior log grades to more accurately reflect the value of beetle-damaged wood and ensure the Province receives fair stumpage revenue.
- Improved access to communities and recreation sites through the replacement of 95 structures on Forest Service roads.
A Highly Effective, Innovative and Responsive Organization
- Continued work on the ministry's Road Ahead revitalization strategy.
- Exceeded the ministry's commitment to maintain its June 2004 deregulation baseline with a zero per cent increase, by decreasing regulatory requirements a further 10 per cent.
- Undertook a high level "mapping the ministry's business" project through the ministry's continuous improvement process to better document and communicate the ministry's business processes to the public and clients.
- Delivered a continuous improvement module at the University of Northern British Columbia and Thompson Rivers University to provide continuous improvement training to future ministry employees.
