Section of Great Bear Rainforest made off-limits to foresters
February 18, 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
B.C.’s chief forester, Jim Snetsinger, said on Thursday that he is reducing the annual timber cut allowed in a part of the Great Bear Rainforest by 23% to 767,000 cubic metres.
“This new cut-level reflects the creation of new conservancies and the adoption of ecosystem-based management objectives as a result of the Coast Land Use Decision,” Snetsinger said in a government release.
The mid-coast timber supply area in the Great Bear Rainforest covers 2.7 million hectares on B.C.’s central coast.
Approximately 495,000 hectares of the supply area is in protected areas and 123,162 hectares, or 4.6%, of the timber supply area is suitable for timber harvesting.
BC Timber Sales, Interfor and Western Forest Products have forestry operations in the mid-coast area.
Under the timber supply review, the chief forester or deputy chief forester determines how much wood can be harvested in each of the province’s 37 timber supply areas at least once every 10 years.