Whereas the forestry industry provides important employment throughout the province, and long term employment stability is essential, and requires a long term plan for timber harvesting in order to create stable employment; And whereas the allowable annual cut may be too high over the long term, and at the current rate, forests are being logged too quickly: Therefore be it resolved that the methodology by which allowable annual cut is determined and approved by the Chief Forester under the Forest Act, be re-evaluated so that stable, long term employment be assured and watershed and wildlife spaces be protected.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations The process used by the Chief Forester to set allowable annual cuts is part of British Columbias approach to sustainable forest management. BC has more hectares certified to one of three independent and internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards than any other jurisdiction in the world, apart from Canada as a whole. By law, allowable annual cut AAC levels are set at least once every 10 yearsbut are revisited more frequently in areas that have experienced rapid changes to the land base or timber supply, for example, those areas impacted by the mountain pine beetle infestation. Each new AAC determination considers the latest data and refinements to models used to project timber supply. The process is open, well-established, rigorous, and science based.