Implementing Old Growth Deferrals in B.C.
Channel: GovernmentofBC
Date: 22/08/2023

The Ministry of Forests has deferred 1.7 million hectares of Old Growth across British Columbia. These deferrals temporarily halt any harvesting of Old Growth giving us time to consider long-term solutions.

BC Timber Sales is working to implement the deferrals by tracking where they overlay with harvest areas to ensure our most at-risk ecosystems are managed appropriately.

The old growth deferral process is complex. Identification of old growth isn’t always straightforward and requires forest professionals to collect and present high quality data and make decisions based on the latest science and policy. Field verification is a key tool to make sure that we are deferring the harvest of old forests. By ensuring that the appropriate areas are temporarily deferred, decisions can be made to create a new future for old forests.