WHEREAS numerous large parcels of private managed forest land exist on Vancouver Island as a result of the EN land grants dating back to 1884; AND WHEREAS private managed forest land regulations are inferior to Crown land forest regulations with respect to protecting key environmental, watershed and community interests: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the Province of BC to revise the Private Managed Forest Land Act and appurtenant regulations to improve forestry practices on private managed forest lands to a standard equivalent or better than Crown forest land regulations, thereby better protecting community interests.
Ministry of Forests, Lands Natural Resource Operations In British Columbia, governance for environmental stewardship on private land is a multi-agency responsibility. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is responsible for the Private Managed Forest Land Act that regulates forests practices on private land to ensure protection of key public values such as fish and wildlife habitat, soil conservation, drinking water protection and reforestation. Several other agencies also play a role, including the Ministry of Health, responsible for maintaining safe drinking water under the Drinking Water Protection Act; the Ministry of Environment, responsible for the protection of fish and wildlife under the Wildlife Act, the Fisheries Act and the Environmental Management Act; and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, responsible for fish habitat under the Fisheries Act. The Private Managed Forest Land Council is responsible for establishing, administering, monitoring and amending regulations, with assistance from ministry staff and Legislative Counsel, relating to forest practices on private managed forest land. The Council is also responsible for monitoring forest practices and outcomes, the results of which help inform them about the effectiveness of regulations. Based on the monitoring results received to date, government is satisfied that current standards are ensuring that the objectives for key environmental values as set out in the Private Managed Forest Land Act are being met. Government and the Council will continue to monitor results and look for ways to improve practices when necessary.