Changes to the Regulations 3. Highlights of Act and Regulations Changes 4. In 1999, a number of changes were made to the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act , regulations and guidebooks. Pilot projects to improve the regulatory framework were introduced. The purpose of pilot projects is to explore new ways to regulate and enforce B.C. forest practices to create efficiency and save costs for both industry and government.
Regulations governing pilot projects are under development.
Pilot projects must maintain environmental standards, provide for public review and comment, and allow public access to pilot project planning documents and assessments. Pilot projects may only be established in areas that are subject to higher level plans or a regulation concerning the balancing of competing values and interests. Pilot project proponents must report on the pilots and those reports must be available to the public. The retention system is a silvicultural system designed to maintain structural diversity within a cutblock, and to ensure that the majority of the cutblock retains residual tree and adjacent forest influences. The retention system emphasizes trees that are to be left on site, serving a variety of purposes for very long periods.