66 resources found

This extension note presents a case study on using partial cutting to reduce the susceptibility of mature Lodgepole Pine stands to Mountain Pine Beetle attacks, a process termed Beetle Proofing. The document details the objectives and criteria for this forestry practice, emphasizing proper layout, experienced logging contractors, and a commitment to overall parties. It outlines the harvesting and silviculture systems involved, explaining how selective removal of trees aims to create a stand structure that is less vulnerable to beetle infestations, rather than a clear-cut approach. This document serves as a guide for forest management, outlining management objectives and planning for sustainable timber production and biodiversity while mitigating the impact of MPB in the British Columbia interior.

This document details a case study on patch cutting in old-growth forests within British Columbia, specifically addressing its impact on wildlife habitat and its use as an alternative to clearcut logging. The study examines a group selection silviculture system aimed at balancing timber extraction with the preservation of wildlife corridors and habitat, particularly for species like caribou and mule deer. Key objectives included creating uneven-aged stands, reducing snow interception, minimizing logging impacts, and maintaining a percentage of the block area as old-growth. The findings suggest that while patch cutting is operationally feasible and offers benefits over conventional clearcutting, it still requires careful planning and management to effectively meet both economic and environmental goals.

This document details a case study on varaible retention as a method to restore old-growth forest conditions in British Columbia's East Kootenay region. It explains how historical land management, including fire suppression, drastically altered forest structures, leading to a decline in biodiversity and an increase in fire risk. The study outlines a silvicultural prescription designed to mimic natural disturbances by strategically removing timber, aiming to re-establish the characteristics of pre-settlement old-growth stands, such as varied tree sizes and increased light penetration. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a sustainable management approach that not only mitigates fire hazards but also enhances wildlife habitat and supports the long-term health of the forest ecosystem.

This extension note details a case study on patch cutting in old-growth forests in British Columbia. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate alternative silviculture systems, specifically patch cutting, as a method to maintain caribou habitat. The study aimed to assess the impact of this harvesting technique on the abundance and dispersal of arboreal lichen, a critical food source for caribou, while also considering its effects on windthrow and other forest health factors.

This technical report investigates the impact of silviculture practices on greenup delay in the Nelson Forest Region, specifically within the Cranbrook and Revelstoke Timber Supply Areas. Greenup delay refers to the time it takes for a newly harvested forest stand to reach a specified average height, signaling successful regeneration. The report evaluates how enhanced silviculture techniques, such as site preparation, planting, brushing, and the use of genetically improved stock, can reduce this delay and increase the short-term and long-term timber supply to optimize tree growth and forest yield.

This technical report presents a review of partial-cutting activities in the Nelson Forest Region. The primary purpose is to evaluate the potential of partial cutting to reduce annual cut levels, specifically focusing on how different partial-cutting silvicultural systems impact timber and non-timber values. It analyzes historical logging data from various districts within the region to understand past practices, identify discrepancies in data, and suggest more effective strategies for forest management and harvest scheduling that could lead to increased flexibility and improved non-timber benefits.

This technical report details a study on how understory vegetation responds to different burn treatments and soil moisture conditions in the Interior Cedar-Hemlock dry warm subzone. The core purpose was to monitor and compare vegetation changes in areas that experienced no burn, moderate burns, or severe burns following a fall slashburn. The research highlights the dominant plant species that emerged in each environment over four years, noting differences in species composition and competition dynamics, particularly concerning the impact of a fall slashburn and soil seepage on vegetation development.

This technical report presents a retrospective investigation of partial cuts within the Golden Forest District. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between regeneration density and various site factors following partial harvesting. Researchers found that while abundant natural regeneration occurred, its success was not strongly correlated with specific harvest treatments, but rather more significantly influenced by factors like brush potential and site preparation. The report recommends guidelines for residual basal area levels to optimize seed supply and moisture protection in these forest ecosystems.

This document outlines the strategic approach to silvicultural systems in the Great Bear Rainforest, focusing on Ecosystem-Based Management. A central theme is the retention silvicultural system, which involves deliberately leaving trees and vegetation within harvested areas to maintain forest structure and biodiversity. The application of this system is context-dependent, influenced by the proportion of mature and old forest at both the broader landscape unit and immediate cutblock scales, with increased retention mandated where older forests are scarce. Additionally, the document addresses windthrow considerations at both landscape and stand levels, providing guidelines to mitigate damage while prioritizing the retention system in areas of lower wind hazard.

The Southern Interior Silviculture Committee has been in existence since the 1960s. Our purpose is to promote appropriate silviculture practices in BC by hosting two events each year a?\" a winter workshop conference and fall field tour excursion a?\" to provide venues for discussion of forestry issues and topics.

This extension note explores the critical role of fire in the dry interior forests of British Columbia, which historically experienced frequent, low-intensity surface fires that maintained ecosystem health and biodiversity. The authors explain how human fire exclusion over the past 60 years has dramatically altered these forests, leading to increased fuel loads, higher tree density, altered species composition, and a greater risk of intense, large-scale crown fires. The documen then outlines four management options for these sites: continued fire suppression, controlled prescribed burns, mechanical fuel reduction, or a combination of these strategies, emphasizing the need to balance ecological, social, and economic considerations. Finally, the document highlights various ongoing research initiatives aimed at understanding fire regimes and developing integrated management solutions for these fire-adapted ecosystems.

This report outlines the Lower North Thompson Community Forest Wildfire Risk Management Plan, a comprehensive strategy developed to address the increasing threat of wildfires in British Columbia. Initiated in 2018, the plan identifies and evaluates wildfire risks, considering factors like ignition probability, fire intensity, and values at risk such as human life, infrastructure, and environmental assets. It proposes five key management strategies including wildfire management zones, silviculture, strategic harvesting, prescribed fire, and collaborative planning aimed at enhancing wildfire resilience and mitigating negative impacts, while also exploring potential ecological opportunities associated with fire. The plan emphasizes a proactive and adaptive approach, recommending annual progress reports and a five-year renewal cycle to adjust to changing conditions.

This document introduces revised estimates for snow recovery in pine-dominated forests of British Columbia's interior, a critical factor for watershed management. Snow recovery refers to the restoration of snow accumulation and melt patterns in regrowing forests after clearcutting, compared to mature forests and clearcut areas. The authors highlight how changes in forest cover significantly impact spring streamflow peaks, making accurate recovery estimates essential for assessing potential hydrologic changes. The study presents new recovery curves based on long-term data from the Thompson-Okanagan region, demonstrating that previous estimates likely overstated the rate of snow recovery, suggesting a more gradual return to pre-harvest conditions as young forests grow taller.

This research models the impact of forest harvesting on peak streamflows in a small, snow-dominated watershed in British Columbia. Using a sophisticated hydrological model, the study simulated various clearcutting scenarios to understand how the removal of forest cover influences the magnitude and frequency of high flow events. The findings indicate that forest harvesting consistently increases peak flows, with larger, less frequent events showing a more significant response, though the predicted increases were less than 50% even with complete forest removal. The study highlights the importance of watershed characteristics like topography and size in determining the extent of these changes and emphasizes the ongoing need for research to improve water resource management in forested areas.

This document provides guidance on how to conduct salvage harvesting in areas affected by the mountain pine beetle in the Southern Interior Forest Region of British Columbia while maintaining habitat structure and wildlife diversity. It emphasizes that salvage logging, while economically important, can negatively impact ecosystems already disturbed by beetles. The core idea is to use within-stand retention practices like leaving live trees, snags, and downed wood, along with strategically placed partial harvesting, to mimic natural disturbance patterns and create habitats that support a variety of species and aid forest recovery. The report discusses five key issues to consider: loss of mature forest attributes, connectivity, riparian areas, access management, and habitat homogenization, offering strategies to address them.

This document examines the current use of glyphosate in BC's forestry practices, specifically for vegetation management in re-establishing forests after harvesting. It systematically explores the regulatory context governing herbicide use and the rationale behind glyphosate's application, contrasting it with other methods like manual cutting. The review then delves into the impacts of glyphosate on various ecological values, including biodiversity, soil and water quality, climate change considerations, wildfire dynamics, First Nations interests, and public use perceptions. Finally, it assesses the implications for timber supply and discusses managing forests for multiple values, culminating in recommendations for future research, data collection, communication, and policy development.

This document outlines how to integrate wildfire risk reduction into forest regeneration practices. It explains that these standards are modifications of existing reforestation guidelines, tailored to achieve specific fire management objectives, such as reducing crown fire potential and enhancing fire suppression effectiveness, particularly near communities and high-value infrastructure. The document details considerations for developing these standards, including species selection based on fire resilience, stand density management to influence fire behavior, and structural characteristics like canopy base height. It provides a framework and examples for forest professionals to create stocking standards that balance timber production with proactive wildfire management at both local and landscape levels.

This extension note investigates various forest management approaches for complex, dry Interior Douglas-fir forests. The core of the project involves long-term, operational-scale experiments comparing different harvesting methods, such as individual tree selection and patch cutting, against uncut controls across two distinct study areas. The research explores the effects of these treatments on a wide array of ecological factors, including natural disturbances, tree regeneration, vegetation dynamics, microclimate, soils, and wildlife habitat, aiming to understand how different management practices impact forest health and biodiversity. The project seeks to provide practical insights for forest managers to move beyond traditional uniform partial cutting and adopt a broader range of strategies that better reflect the natural variability of these important forest ecosystems.

This document explores the complex relationship between fire management in fire-prone forests of British Columbia and the dynamics of forest carbon. It highlights the challenge for natural resource managers in determining when fire management actions act as sources or sinks of greenhouse gases. The document discusses forest carbon cycles, the impact of climate change on fire regimes, and various forest management approaches, including fire suppression and fuel reduction, in the context of carbon storage and emissions. The docuemtn aims to inform decision-making by considering carbon dynamics alongside other crucial ecological and economic values in these fire-dependent ecosystems.

This paper investigates how diversifying managed forests in British Columbia could enhance their ability to recover from disturbances, specifically a recent mountain pine beetle epidemic linked to climate change. The authors used computer simulations to compare different forest management strategies over an 80-year period, assessing their impact on ecological resilience, timber supply, and economic outcomes. Their findings suggest that a strategy focused on proactively harvesting dominant, susceptible tree species and promoting a greater variety of planted and naturally regenerating trees leads to improved forest health, higher long-term harvest rates, and more stable economic returns without compromising economic viability. The study advocates for incorporating diversification as a key approach to increasing the resilience of managed forests in the face of future environmental challenges.