Special Report – SR/35
November 2009
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Government should seize the opportunity that exists to implement a landscape‐level conservation uplift by proceeding without delay to:
a. Clarify government’s objectives for wildlife and biodiversity at the landscape‐level in areas affected by large‐scale salvage operations.
b. Provide leadership in the process of making landscape‐level decisions about what areas to retain during salvage harvesting.
c. Evaluate the achievement of the government’s objectives for wildlife and biodiversity at the landscape level throughout the area of the salvage operations before opportunities are lost to influence the decisions made as a result of recommendation 1b.
2. The Ministry of Forests and Range should:
a. Use all available information to produce a disturbance/depletion map that shows all forest harvesting that has occurred, provides some estimate of the date of the harvest and indicates the source of the information. That map should be updated annually.
b. Take steps necessary to make available maps showing forest cover and forest harvesting on tree farm licences of sufficient detail for strategic level analysis.
c. Implement quality control procedures to ensure complete and accurate reporting of wildlife tree retention areas under Section 86(3)(a)(iv) of the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation.
d. Make explicit the reserve status of all mature forest areas previously reported as being in harvested blocks.
e. Complete the mapping of existing wildlife tree retention areas in harvested blocks where responsibility has reverted to the Crown.
