For Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) operations manager, Warren Hansen, ecosystem-based management (EBM), a tool introduced in its operations in 2021, “came from the heart” of what the community wants from SCCF.
In his opening remarks at a Jan. 30 Community Advisory Panel and public information webinar, he noted that SCCF’s board and community advisory panel are committed to using EBM in stewarding its tenure by harvesting timber in a way that curbs losses of biodiversity. The overall goal is to have a working forest while sustaining ecological and cultural values so that future generations have access to forest areas just as diverse and healthy as those currently enjoyed.
To do that, SCCF relies on advice from contractors including Laurie Kremsater and Anna Yuill, who presented an overview of EBM to about 35 people tuned into the webinar. Both are forestry professionals, who outlined that while provincial legislation requires protection of between nine and 19 percent of local tenure areas, SCCF’s aim is to meet its harvest quotas while leaving 30 per cent of its tenure areas untouched.
Determining areas with the qualities that are most valuable to retain is one step that SCCF takes in harvest block management. Assessments are done using forest attribute scoring (FAS), which assigns values to natural attributes like riparian zones, wildlife corridors and habitats and areas where culturally significant resources or recreational values (like mushroom picking sites or hiking trails) exist. That process begins, Kremsater explained, with an “in office review” of mapping and reports available on a tenure area. “Then we head to the field. What we are looking for is to find ecosystems at risk,” she noted. The field team then provides “standalone assessments” on the areas explored to the SCCF board.
It is at the board level where that information is discussed with SCCF staff and there is consideration of revision of harvest plans, with the goal of 30 per cent natural area protection kept in mind. Those on-the-ground FAS based-reports can lead to calling for less harvesting in areas with high scores and more in block areas where the FAS is lower.
EBM and 2025 logging plans near Halfmoon Bay
A harvest area “swap” may be possible, according to Kremsater, to help address a concern raised by Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) regarding red cedar sword fern growth in Block HM64. That issue, related to the site which is near Crowston Lake in the Halfmoon Bay area, was raised by a webinar attendee.
In a Jan. 19 media release, ELF called for “a last minute reprieve from logging” for HM64, until there is “proper consideration of its full ecological values” which included “endangered” fern ecosystems. It also questioned the age classification assigned by SCCF to the tree stands in that territory.
SCCF executive director Sara Zieleman told Coast Reporter via a Jan.24 email that it is moving forward with plans related to harvesting in the area. “The contract for roadbuilding in HM64 and HM66-1A is currently being tendered, closing January 31st. We are planning to tender timber harvesting for HM66-1A immediately afterwards, and HM64 in the fall”, she wrote.
During the webinar questions and answer period, Kremsater stated that HM64 field work showed the fern habitat in question was “significantly established” and commented that a harvesting “swap” of such a zone for another area could be looked at.
