316 resources found

FPBC's professional development courses are designed to enhance the competence of forest professionals in British Columbia. These e-courses and micro-courses cover topics such as climate change, ethical conduct, forest stewardship, conflict management, and working with Indigenous communities. Learners gain practical skills in areas like visual resource management, fieldwork quality, and professional forestry practice rights. Each course supports ongoing learning and includes a certificate of completion to recognize achievement.

This document investigates how partial harvesting strategies, designed to enhance mule deer habitat and allow timber extraction in British Columbia's dry Douglas-fir forests, impact complex interactions with natural disturbances like insect outbreaks and wildfires. The study, spanning 30 years, found that while short-term harvesting altered forest structure and reduced the immediate risk of crown fires and Douglas-fir beetle infestations, many of these structural and susceptibility changes reverted over the long term. The removal of harvesting residuals proved more significant in mitigating long-term disturbance risks, particularly for Douglas-fir beetles and intense surface fires, than the time elapsed since the treatment itself. The authors conclude that sustainable forest management integrating timber extraction and mule deer habitat conservation is achievable if partial harvesting occurs at intervals of 30 years or less and residuals are promptly cleared.

This document provides guidance on harvesting and thinning treatments within Wildland-Urban Interface areas, specifically focusing on reducing wildfire risk in British Columbia. It details a multi-step planning process for Community Wildfire Protection Plans, emphasizing the analysis of land features, existing values like public safety and wildlife habitat, and long-term visions for a fire-resilient forest dominated by Douglas-fir. The report also presents case studies illustrating various fuel reduction methods and their associated costs, alongside operational considerations and responses from professionals regarding logging systems, fuel management, and funding challenges. This document delves into fire behavior modeling to inform best practices for achieving target fuel loadings and canopy base heights, while also highlighting policy conflicts that hinder cost-efficient implementation of these crucial wildfire mitigation strategies.

Building a community of practice that shares ideas, insights, and experiences for advancing effective and efficient restoration in northern B. C. Who is a Restoration Practitioner Anyone interested in the delivery of a restoration project, including professionals, academics, authorities, First Nations, stakeholders, funders, partners, governmental and non-governmental groups, and individuals interested in restoration.

The aim of this community of practice is to create an open forum to discuss wildland fire and fuel management, share knowledge, find solutions, and develop new ideas. Representatives of FPBC and BC Wildfire Service provide updates on the regulation of the practice of professional forestry and the management of wildland fire and fuels during meetings.

The Private Forest Landowners Association represents managed forest owners across the province of British Columbia from the coastal to the interior, the large to the small, the veteran forester to the novice tree farmer. PFLA consistently participates in the public policy process to ensure government policy is fair, environmentally sound, fiscally responsible and sufficiently respectful of private property rights. PFLA offers regular workshops, training opportunities and communication updates to foster responsible and innovative forest management practices that encourage and promote the protection of key public environmental values on private forest lands.

The Ecological Restoration program offers specialized training in high-level ecosystem functioning and is designed for practitioners working in restoration and related environmental fields that see problems with current practices and want to investigate alternative and innovative solutions. This program develops critical thinking skills and asks challenging questions that require students to deal with the uncertainty that is present with problems in ecological restoration. Upon completion of this program, students will be able to conduct detailed site assessments and restoration projects that pay special attention to the unique conditions and challenges presented by built and otherwise highly altered environments.

Presented from both Indigenous and western perspectives, the online program provides a unique learning opportunity that combines knowledge of western fire science and Indigenous ways of knowing with landscape and fire ecology and social sciences to address a vital need for professional training in the increasingly complex area of wildfire management.

This interactive and self-paced short course is delivered through four e-learning modules. It is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about climate change, providing concepts, case studies, and perspectives with a focus on the B. C. context, aiming to enhance understanding and promote ideas for climate action.

This document explores how fire can intentionally contribute to wildfire resilience in British Columbia and introduces the concept of beneficial fire, defined as planned or unplanned wildland fire with positive ecological effects and acceptable risk to human communities. It presents a conceptual framework that integrates both ecological dimensions and community dimensions to guide management decisions. The document advocates for a whole-of-society approach to increase beneficial fire, including cultural fire, prescribed fire, and managed wildfire, by accelerating place-based assessments and improving community safety through measures like FireSmart.

This paper highlights the crucial role of boundary spanners in addressing the escalating challenge of wildfires in Western Canada. These individuals and organizations bridge critical gaps, spanning different knowledge systems, organizations, and geographical areas, to foster collaboration and implement proactive fire management strategies, such as cultural and prescribed burning. The authors emphasize that despite the vital work of boundary spanners in building trust, sharing knowledge, and developing capacity, their contributions are often undervalued and lack sufficient institutional support. The piece concludes by asserting the urgent need for dedicated investment in boundary spanning roles to effectively integrate diverse expertise and facilitate collaborative, equitable solutions for wildfire management.

This presentation focuses on managing forests for resilience as a crucial method for achieving both forest sustainability and value. It begins by establishing the importance of resilience in the context of forestry, defining it across ecological, engineering, and social-ecological perspectives, and distinguishing between general and disturbance-specific resilience. The presentation then explores how to promote resilient forests, emphasizing the role of diversity, complexity, and understanding ecological systems. Through case studies and management principles, it demonstrates practical ways to enhance forest resilience at various spatial scales, acknowledging the inherent trade-offs in managing for future uncertainties like fire, insects, drought, and climate change.

This study investigates different methods for assessing the effects of controlled burning in a harvested forest area. The study compares the utility of satellite imagery, fire behavior modeling, unmanned aerial vehicle image analysis, and ground-based measurements in evaluating burn severity, fuel consumption, and impacts on surface conditions and vegetation. The report aims to identify accurate and efficient techniques for understanding and managing the ecological consequences of broadcast burning for land management purposes.

This document addresses the challenge of balancing timber harvesting with the conservation of at-risk plant communities that depend on mature and old forest conditions in British Columbia's Coastal Douglas Fir biogeoclimatic zone. Recognizing the scarcity of these older forests, the document outlines silvicultural practices aimed at maintaining existing structural diversity in high-conservation areas and accelerating the development of old-growth characteristics in younger, more homogenous stands. Ultimately, it seeks to equip forest professionals with strategies to enhance the ecological functions of older forests within provincial forest lands.

The BCCFA mission is to promote and support the practice and expansion of sustainable community forest management in British Columbia. The BC Community Forest Association represents over 100 rural and Indigenous communities across our province. The BCCFA shares a vision of a network of diverse community forest initiatives, where local people practice ecologically responsible forest management in perpetuity, fostering and supporting healthy and vibrant rural communities and economies.

Established in 2004, the Timber Sales Advisory Council provides a forum to gather sector viewpoints and obtain advice on a range of legislative, policy, business practice and program performance issues significant to BCTS. The council consists of representatives from industry associations whose members are significant BCTS customers and clients, and key BCTS staff including the program executive and senior managers. Work with a representative in their area to have the issue brought to TSAC; or contact the TSAC Secretariat directly and the Secretariat will forward the request to the Chair to decide the appropriateness of bringing the topicforward.

The College of Applied Biologists is a professional regulator that is committed to acting in the best interest of the public by ensuring that all registrants meet and maintain the ethical standards of professional competency and conduct. The College of Applied Biologists was created by The College of Applied Biology Act in 2003. It was the only legislation of its kind in North America, and was the first time applied biologists have been granted full professional status through self-governing legislation. In 2021, the College and its registrants came under the Professional Governance Act.