B.C.'s chief forester has reduced the annual allowable cut (AAC) for the Soo Timber Supply Area (TSA) by about five per cent - reducing the cut from 503,000 to 480,000 cubic metres - but decided against regulating species harvesting levels.
Chief Forester Jim Snetsinger's decision was unexpected since, according to a report by the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands in November 2010, then-current harvesting practices showing a preference for Douglas fir/cedar stands over hemlock/balsam stands was threatening logging sustainability in the Soo TSA.
According to the report, if disproportionate harvesting continued (57 per cent in Douglas fir and cedar and 41 per cent in hemlock/balsam) in five years the AAC would need to be reduced to 239,000 cubic metres.
Snetsinger's decision was based on the fact that from 2001 to 2010 only 67 per cent of the AAC for the Soo TSA was actually harvested, alleviating the disparity between the harvesting levels.
"The fact that the AAC has not been achieved consistently mitigates this disproportionate licensee preference for conventional Douglas fir/cedar stands," he said. "But the relatively low proportion of harvesting in hemlock/balsam leading stands does highlight the operational or economic challenge in accessing such stands.
"But they are still harvesting these other stands [balsam/hemlock]. They're not completely ignoring them at all."
Snetsinger said as long as one type of wood is more valuable, there will always be some discrepancy in harvesting levels and if the worst-case scenario did happen, he would determine a new AAC, which he is allowed to do at any time.
"At the far right of the risk scale, if all the harvesting did happen in the Douglas fir/cedar stands then yes, we would have to reduce the AAC, but I just didn't see that happening based on past performance," he said, adding that the district will be monitoring harvest levels.
"I can do them [new AACs] at any point, so if I feel that for some reason I need to come back and revisit - whether that's for another land use decision or some economics like a disproportionate harvest - I can do that.
Jeff Fisher, Sqomish Forestry LP president and forestry manager, said he agreed with Snetsinger's decision. His company operates forest licence A19209, which is within the Soo TSA, which covers about 910,000 hectares north of Vancouver including Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
"When you look at the statistics for the last 10 years, we've only harvested half the cut anyhow," he said. "So when you put the amount of Douglas fir/cedar stands that are being harvested proportionate to the total cut, it really wasn't that far out of whack."
The size of the Soo TSA is deceiving, as now only 93,000 ha is considered to be part of the timber harvesting land base, down from 98,000.
"We almost have a million hectares and only about a tenth of it contributes to the AAC," Snetsinger said. "There's a lot of area in the Soo that isn't available for commercial harvesting."
Snetsinger explained his rationale for the decision, released on May 12 in a 42-page report.
"This slight reduction in the cut level for the Soo timber supply area is due to updated forest analysis information, including a decrease in the area available for logging," he said.
"The size of the timber harvesting land base has been affected by the establishment of a new community forest, increased wildlife habitat areas, and the implementation of land use objectives under the Sea-to-Sky Land and Resource Management Plan."
Fisher said considering the reduction in land versus the reduction in AAC, "there's not actually going to be much of a difference in the wood available."
"There's a reduction in the TSA but it's just moved to a different place," he said.
One example of commercial harvesting outside the TSA is the 900,000-hectare Squamish Nation owned Tree Forest License (TFL) 38, also operated by Sqomish Forestry LP.
Snetsinger said TFL 38, as well as other private community forests and Squamish Nation woodlots, have their own AAC.
"First Nations fee simple land is not part of the Soo timber supply or its AAC," Snetsinger said. "Anything that's a First Nations reserve or if it's fee simple land, it's not part of the contributing land base for the AAC."
He said this includes areas designated as being of cultural or spiritual significance.
The other change Snetsinger made in his AAC determination was to discontinue the helicopter partition, previously set at 90,000 cubic metres.
"Within the AAC, I have the ability to segregate it into conventional harvesting or helicopter harvesting," he said.
"The idea is, if there are areas that you know could be economic using non-conventional means like helicopter, you want to let them continue to contribute to the harvesting land base and you want to make sure they don't overharvest the conventional wood by utilizing all the cut in the conventional and not accessing the helicopter."
His rationale for not continuing to enforce the partition was based on good past performance.
"Over the last 10 years there's been pretty good performance in the helicopter partition so in that helicopter-accessible wood, they are accessing it," Snetsinger said. "So I didn't think it was necessary to continue to actually partition the cut.
"I figured if they did that through some fairly difficult economic times, they'd probably be able to continue that practice going forward."
Fisher said Snetsinger's assumption was "reasonable."
"I think the amount of heli-logging will remain a constant whether it's forced or not," said Fisher. "It is expensive but also some of the patches of the very best timber that are left are only accessible by helicopter - as long as the value is there, it works.
"There was a helicopter logging here in the district until three days ago and that will continue. We have helicopter logging in our plans and most licensees do."
Overall, Fisher said "given the timing of the review, it's fairly reasonable to sort of hold steady."
