78 resources found

This study investigates the impact of partial cutting logging practices on lichen diversity within lodgepole pine forests of British Columbia's Chilcotin Plateau, an important habitat for northern caribou that rely on lichens for winter forage. The study compares different partial cutting methods, including variations in removal intensity and harvesting techniques, against unlogged control sites. Through pre- and post-logging measurements of lichen richness, diversity, and abundance, the authors aim to determine how these forestry practices affect the lichen communities and, consequently, the caribou's food source, with a focus on the influence of solar radiation and logging slash. This study aims to inform silvicultural systems that can balance timber harvesting with the maintenance of crucial caribou habitat.

This study addresses the ecology and management of interior Douglas-fir at the northern extent of its range in British Columbia, particularly within the Prince George Timber Supply Area. The study delves into concerns about a perceived decline in Douglas-fir abundance, exploring its ecological, cultural, and economic significance in this northern environment. It synthesizes existing knowledge on Douglas-fir, examining past and present management practices, its role in local ecosystems including wildlife habitat and soil health, and challenges related to its regeneration, often comparing it with other species like lodgepole pine and spruce. The document serves as a problem analysis and aims to inform the development of an interim management strategy and future research directions for sustaining Douglas-fir in these unique northern landscapes.

This study explores the critical role of fire as a natural process in shaping and sustaining the diverse ecosystems of British Columbia. The first describes the various historical fire regimes across different ecosystem types in the province, categorized by the frequency and intensity of fire events. It then emphasizes the ecological importance of fire, highlighting its contributions to biodiversity, ecosystem complexity, and nutrient cycling. Finally, the text examines ecological approaches to fire management, advocating for strategies that recognize and maintain the beneficial presence of fire on the landscape, while also considering factors like climate change and the presence of species at risk. This report serves as a guide for land managers and decision-makers to integrate ecological perspectives into fire management plans for the long-term health and resilience of British Columbia's forests and rangelands.

This case study outlines a detailed approach to employing planned burns for ecological benefits. The document details the ecological role of fire in the Okanagan, current fire management practices, and the proposed strategic plan. Key themes include the restoration and maintenance of ecosystem health and biodiversity through mimicking natural fire regimes, while also addressing risk management and collaboration among stakeholders. The plan likely specifies objectives, strategies, and implementation considerations for using prescribed fire as a vital tool in landscape management.

This paper discusses long-term silviculture experiments in British Columbia aimed at informing science-based forest management on public lands. It highlights two key projects, MASS and Sicamous Creek, which compare different harvesting methods, including variations of clearcutting and retention forestry, and their impacts on ecological values like regeneration, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. The authors explore how the findings from these experiments can contribute to decisions about balancing timber harvesting with environmental considerations, noting the varying degrees of influence these projects have had on actual forestry practices due to differing socio-economic contexts. The paper emphasizes the complexity of applying ecological research to forest management and the importance of considering both ecological understanding and societal pressures.

This case study investigates the economic and operational feasibility of implementing variable retention harvesting in coastal British Columbia. It details a specific trial on northern Vancouver Island, comparing a clearcut and a dispersed retention compartment within the same cutblock, analyzing the productivity and costs associated with different harvesting systems and equipment. The study aims to provide information on the practical challenges of adopting new forest management principles focused on sustaining ecological values alongside economic viability, ultimately contributing to the refinement of these techniques through adaptive management.

This case study investigates the economic and operational feasibility of implementing variable retention harvesting in coastal British Columbia. It details a specific trial on northern Vancouver Island, comparing a clearcut and a dispersed retention compartment within the same cutblock, analyzing the productivity and costs associated with different harvesting systems and equipment. The study aims to provide information on the practical challenges of adopting new forest management principles focused on sustaining ecological values alongside economic viability, ultimately contributing to the refinement of these techniques through adaptive management.

This case study investigates the practical application and economic implications of ecosystem-based management in coastal British Columbia. It details a specific harvesting operation undertaken with Canadian Forest Products Ltd. , examining the productivity and costs associated with different harvesting methods when implementing principles that emulate natural forest disturbances and conserve biodiversity. The study aims to provide empirical knowledge to foresters by analyzing a real-world example of this relatively new forest management paradigm, considering factors like retention levels of trees, operational feasibility, and potential impacts on the residual stand and soil.

This document explores adaptive management as a vital strategy for navigating the uncertainties inherent in managing complex forest ecosystems. It defines adaptive management as a structured process of learning by doing, where management interventions are intentionally designed as experiments to test hypotheses about ecosystem function. The document outlines the key elements of adaptive management, including defining problem boundaries, identifying questions, developing hypotheses, experimental design, monitoring, and feedback loops, and discusses practical tools for implementation like AEAM workshops and decision analysis. The document also outlines the policy, institutional, social, and organizational challenges that can hinder the widespread adoption of this approach, offering potential solutions to these barriers. Through various case studies, the document illustrates real-world applications of adaptive management across different ecological contexts, emphasizing its potential to improve forest practices and address the requirements of the Forest Practices Code by treating management actions as opportunities for valuable learning.

This newsletter aims to inform readers about the concepts, projects, and events related to adaptive management, particularly within British Columbia. A central theme is the distinction between single-loop learning, which focuses on fixing immediate problems within existing assumptions, and double-loop learning, which involves questioning the underlying assumptions and objectives. The newsletter champions adaptive management as a method for incorporating double-loop learning into organizational routines to better manage complex ecological systems. It discusses practical aspects of implementing adaptive management, including project updates and addressing barriers like the challenge of replication in experimental design, offering potential solutions and emphasizing the importance of learning and adapting management strategies based on experience.

This document details the establishment of a significant forestry experiment called Silviculture Treatments for Ecosystem Management in the Sayward. The core purpose of STEMS is to compare different forest harvesting and management techniques beyond traditional clearcutting in second-growth Douglas-fir stands. This comparison evaluates their impacts on forest productivity, economics, and public perception, aiming to provide scientific data for making informed decisions about sustainable, multiple-use forest management. The project replicates a similar study in Washington State to enhance the reliability and broader applicability of its findings, addressing the increasing demand for forestry practices that balance timber production with ecological and social values.

This document explores alternatives to clearcutting in British Columbia. It details the environmental context of the Central Coast, including its physical environment, diverse biota, and natural and human-caused disturbances, emphasizing the unique characteristics of its three ecological subunits: the Hecate Lowland, the Outer Coast Mountains, and the Inner Coast Mountains. The document explores silvicultural systems, contrasting traditional methods with more ecologically sensitive approaches like variable retention, and analyzes the operational and economic implications of implementing partial cutting in this distinctive operating environment, ultimately providing strategic recommendations for sustainable forest management tailored to British Columbia's Central Coast's ecological and socioeconomic realities.

This extension note reports on the early findings of the Sicamous Creek Silvicultural Systems project, a long-term study comparing different forestry practices in high-elevation forests of British Columbia. The central theme is the evaluation of clearcutting versus alternative harvesting methods, such as small patch cuts and individual tree selection, regarding their impacts on various ecological and economic factors. The purpose of this note is to summarize initial results concerning harvest costs, regeneration, soil conditions, microclimate, and biodiversity, ultimately aiming to inform more ecologically diverse and sustainable forest management in these sensitive ecosystems.

This extension note serves as a guide for adapting forest and range management practices in the Skeena Region of British Columbia to the realities of climate change. Recognizing the significant impact of a warming and wetter climate with increased extreme weather on local ecosystems, it synthesizes current climate change research to project future conditions and their ecological consequences. The document outlines potential adaptation strategies for resource professionals and government staff involved in operational planning, effectiveness monitoring, and climate action plans. Ultimately, the goal is to foster resilient ecosystems that can continue to provide essential services and products in the face of ongoing climatic shifts.

This paper is a comprehensive review of variable retention forestry as it has been implemented and studied in British Columbia over the past two decades, focusing on its effectiveness for biodiversity conservation. It traces the origins and evolution of VR in response to concerns about traditional clearcutting, detailing its adoption by major forestry companies and its integration into provincial regulations and land use plans. The authors examine the ecological outcomes of VR, including its impacts on forest structure, wind damage, tree growth, understory vegetation, and various animal groups like birds and invertebrates, often drawing upon long-term monitoring projects and adaptive management experiments. The review aims to synthesize the lessons learned about balancing timber production with biodiversity goals through VR, offering insights into best practices and future directions for forest management in BC and potentially other regions.

This case study details the adoption and implementation of variable retention, a new forestry approach by Weyerhaeuser's British Columbia Coastal Group. Recognizing the ecological importance of residual structures after natural disturbances, VR aims to sustain old-growth forest characteristics within harvested areas by leaving behind live and dead trees. The paper outlines the origins of VR, the establishment of different landscape zoning strategies, and the practical considerations for its application, including harvesting techniques, economic impacts, and silvicultural adjustments for regeneration, emphasizing a commitment to biodiversity conservation alongside timber production.

This extension note outlines the successional pathways of various forest ecosystems in British Columbia and how these natural trajectories are influenced by natural disturbances, forest management practices, and projected climate change. The authors describe typical disturbance regimes like fire and insect outbreaks within different Ecoprovinces and their characteristic Ecosystem Types. Furthermore, the note discusses how human interventions, particularly logging, have altered these successional patterns, and it concludes by considering the potential future impacts of changing temperature and precipitation on these vital forest dynamics, emphasizing the need for management that fosters resilient and resistant forests.

This case study the practical and economic implications of implementing ecosystem-based management principles in a coastal British Columbia old-growth forest. The study specifically examines a harvesting operation that incorporated retaining tree patches and individual trees to promote biodiversity and ecological function, while assessing the productivity and costs associated with the applied harvesting systems and equipment. The report aims to provide insights into the operational challenges and potential efficiencies of adopting this new paradigm of forest management compared to traditional clearcutting practices.