This extension note is the first in a series of eight that describes a set of tools and processes developed to support sustainable forest management planning and its pilot application in the Arrow Timber Supply Area (TSA). Conducted under the Arrow Innovative Forestry Practices Agreement (IFPA) Sustainability Project, and initiated by an interdisciplinary team of academics and practitioners, the “Sustainable Forest Management Framework” offers a comprehensive approach to forest management planning that is also applicable in other parts of British Columbia. Throughout the planning to monitoring process, it uses criteria and indicators as a means of developing and implementing forest management strategies with clear goals and objectives. In this way, forest practitioners can achieve measurable and effective results for identified forest resource values. The framework also incorporates a hierarchical planning process to address these goals and objectives at various spatial and temporal scales, and is supported by a suite of decision-support tools and procedures, including scenario planning, integrated modelling, public multicriteria analysis, and trade-off analysis. Within this framework, public participation is integrated throughout the planning process.During the life of the IFPA, aspects of this framework were tested in the Arrow TSA and it has been used operationally as part of Canfor?s certification effort. Although this approach has received strong support from academic and management circles and promises to provide an objective approach to sustainable forest management, some features have not yet been implemented. The proposed framework is a work-inprogress that evolves as more components of the framework are tested and outcomes evaluated.
While forest companies in British Columbia have been active in the development and implementation of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) in planning for sustainable forest management, in many cases they are not yet considered to be a core business function. A business case for C&I means going beyond the current paradigm of meeting legislative requirements and identifying C&I for sustainable forest management strictly within the context of certification. Without a comprehensive business case that articulates how C&I programs affect a company's position in the market place in terms of measurable benefits, costs and exposure to risk, activities essential to sustaining the broad range of forestry-related socio-economic and ecological values may not get the prioritization and resources needed. Quantifying costs and benefits will help define how forest companies will most effectively meet their sustainable forest management objectives and identify opportunities for partnerships with government, First Nations, stakeholders and other companies in the collective management of the forest resource. Although some companies have begun to develop approaches to the business case for C&I, more work is needed in integrating the objectives and activities of SFM planning into the basic day-to-day operations of a company as well as providing training to resource managers to communicate in the language of business. Government should adopt and encourage a C&I business case approach to forest resource management by developing strong links to legislative and land use planning requirements.
Although public participation is a requirement of sustainable forest management (SFM), it can be difficult for forest managers to obtain broad levels of representation through traditional public participation mechanisms, such as open houses, information sessions, and public advisory groups (PAGs). Some of the difficulties stem from barriers to participation, (e.g., knowledge, time availability, accessibility, and household income). There is a need for social science tools, such as public opinion surveys, to complement existing approaches by soliciting the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of broad sections of the public: getting closer to “the silent majority.” We examine the opinions of residents of nine forest-dependent communities in British Columbia to better understand attitudes toward public participation in forest management decision making, beliefs about SFM and the appropriateness of certain trade-offs, and perceptions of the role of forest managers. Results suggest a need to develop better methods of engaging and communicating with people beyond the PAGs; to increase the public's knowledge of SFM; and to increase trust in forest companies as stewards of the forest.
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