In timber priority zones use the FPC Act to provide strong protection to commercial forestry. Complete the land-use zoning process in a more expedient manner by overhauling the LRMP process to focus public input on articulation of their vision for the planning area and then enabling the professional planners to plan accordingly. The Provincial Cabinet must establish timber targets that will clearly articulate and support the size and type of forest industry the people of B.C. want and expect. These timber targets are essential to guide future land use planning and provide protection for commercial forestry operations. We suggest these targets be articulated as percentage of the forestry land base i.e. hectares dedicated to commercial forestry.
Crown forestlands with the objective of stabilizing and growing the AAC .
Implicit in this recommendation is the belief that incentives for private investment are required to achieve the growth potential of our forests. History has demonstrated that public funding of enhanced forestry is unreliable and subject to social forestry objectives of the Crown. And secondly, enact legislative provisions that place a lien on lands receiving enhanced silviculture investments. The Ministry of Forests would be the approving agency to ensure financially sound and biologically wise silviculture investments. Innovative Forest Practices Agreements can provide the mechanism to implement and track silviculture investments on TSA land and establish the linkage for distribution of AAC increases on TSA lands.