A Sustainable Forest Management Framework for BC Crown Forests
Healthy Forests Healthy Communities

The implementation of SFM requires there be an actual plan of management. Such a plan gives purpose, 
meaning and direction to all the actions of forest protection, harvesting and renewal across the 
landscape. The overall objective is to first identify a future forest condition with all the features the 
public wishes to see in their public forests 50 to 100 years from now. Today’s management to achieve 
the desired future forest, requires the features be quantified, as best as we are able, based on our 
current scientific understanding of forest dynamics and visual quality values, fish and wildlife habitat, 
watershed dynamics and biodiversity values at the tree, stand and landscape levels. The future forest is 
not just a wooly concept but a real, bounded, area‐based forest condition at the scale of 100,000 to 
200,000 hectares or 250 to 500 times the size of Stanley Park. We have known how to do this for over 
20 years.

To reach this future condition, today’s forest inventory needs to be grown into the future by computer
modeling. BC has pioneered this work. We know how to do it and we can develop various scenarios of 
different planned actions in time and space that will produce different outcomes based on meeting 
public, Government and industry expectations. The desired outcomes must be chosen in consultation 
with the public, First Nations and the tenure holders. It’s a social decision. This process of analysis and 
consultation requires a wide range of specialist expertise that must cooperate. This process reduces 
barriers between bureaucratic silos and helps the public, stakeholders and First Nations understand
what is proposed and done. 

Accountability lies in monitoring not just “forest practices” but real coordinated progress towards the 
future forest. We monitor to learn from successes and errors by adaptive management. The chosen set 
of actions form the basis for today’s short term operating plans and have built within them a certain 
harvest level (Allowable Annual Cut) linked to a real spatial plan of management.

Such planning has initial costs but when considering public consultation and industry planning over time 
they are expected to decline as people become familiar with the process and collaboration.  This 
essential planning process is not new.  It is already in place in other provinces, notably Alberta, where all 
area‐based tenures have such plans on the web. Most of the BC public forest does not have such SFM 
plans and they are not formally required. No wonder there is great dissatisfaction with the lack of vision 
and accountability in public forest management.

Dr. Gordon Weetman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia.

RESTORING BC’s FOREST LEGACY AND ENERGIZING THE FOREST SECTOR (Final Report)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
RECOMMENDATIONS

Excerpt:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The growing concern about the future of BC forests in meeting the long-term societal expectations from a wide range of concerned citizens initiated the Healthy Forests-Healthy Communities: A conversation on BC forests initiative (HFHC)1 . The final report and recommendations are based on a forest management and associated land use dialogue with communities, experts and concerned citizens across BC over a two year period. The intent was to inform politicians of recommended strategic actions necessary to ensure the future forest will restore the BC forest legacy and energize the forest sector. Failure to manage forest lands through a long-term sustainability lens will result in a reduction in both investment and management of the forest asset leading to unacceptable levels of community economic development, family health and BC revenue. BC needs to change their focus to avoid a future crisis!

Restoring BC’s Forest Legacy and Energizing the Forest Sector – Strategic Action Plan – DRAFT

Excerpt:
This Action Plan presents the current information for use in the dialogue on the future of BC forest lands and to assist in the on-going discussions regarding actions by political parties leading up to the commitments expected during the 2013 election campaign. Future drafts incorporating the results of upcoming expert and community workshops will be posted on the HFHC website.