WHEREAS the rate of logging on the private forest lands within the E N Land Grant on Vancouver Island have been dramatically accelerated: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities petition the Province of British Columbia to enact legislation requiring private managed forest lands to be regulated and managed to the same standards as crown managed forest lands.
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands The Private Managed Forest Land Act the Act establishes governments management objectives for key environmental values on private land where owners request to have their land classified as managed forest land. These objectives relate to soil conservation, water quality, fish habitat, reforestation and critical wildlife habitat. The Private Managed Forest Land Council the Council is empowered under the Act to establish regulations respecting the first four of these management objectives. The Minister of Environment is responsible for establishing objectives that address management of critical wildlife habitat where there is insufficient Crown land to meet these needs. In 2007, the Council undertook a review of the regulations to assess their adequacy in meeting the spirit and intent of governments stated management objectives. As a result, the new Private Managed Forest Land Council Regulation 2007 came into force September 1, 2008. This regulation significantly increases the protection for water quality and fish habitat, including constraints on timber harvesting in riparian areas. There are no objectives in the Act that relate specifically to rate-of-cut. However, rate-of-cut is only one factor affecting watershed behaviour. Reforestation, riparian reserves, soil disturbance and other management activities also affect watersheds. The Council has reacted to improve management activities in these areas. Other legislation also regulates activities in watersheds and affects water quality e.g., Drinking Water Protection Act, Water Act, Fish Protection Act and the federal Fisheries Act. This web of regulation offers significant protection and requires careful forest management by private land owners. We find no evidence for a dramatic increase in rate-of-cut. The Ministry of Forests and Range statistics show that private land harvest levels within the E N Land Grant have been relatively stable since the late 1990s, and the Timber Forest License removals have not dramatically affected harvest levels in this area. When done responsibly, with due care to key public environmental values, increased timber harvesting represents a sustainable way to increase economic activity, jobs and taxation revenues. There is no new legislation proposed in addition to the current statutes available to manage harvesting on private land.