Sustainable Forest Management Plan

The Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Plan is a road map to current and long-term SFM performance objectives and management strategies in the Port Alberni Forest Operations area, referred to here as the Defined Forest Area or DFA.

The DFA is situated on west-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The primary community centers in the area are Port Alberni and Bamfield. The DFA encompasses hectares of public lands.

The SFM Plan is an adaptation of planning processes that have been in place since allocation of the original Tree Farm Licence (TFL) in 1955. These planning processes include strategic and operational plans, analyses, standards, monitoring, and public review. Management of forest land in the area has continued to evolve over time in response to changes in society's values. TFL Management Plans are submitted at approximately ten-year intervals, and include a general description and brief history of the TFL, a list of publicly available planning documents that guide operations, a timber supply analysis with supporting information, and a summary of the review process taken and the comments received. Monitoring has included operational and corporate reporting as well as compliance audits.

The results of the DFA related public participation processes since inception in 1999 have contributed to the development of Values, Objectives, Indicators, and Targets to supplement those Indicators core to the CSA Z809 Standard. The West Island Woodlands Advisory Group (WIWAG) has helped to further develop the SFM performance framework for the DFA. Ongoing review and input is provided by WIWAG, TFL managers, and others through performance assessments, operational plan reviews, and processes related to specific land uses such as landscape unit planning and community water supply.

The SFM Plan is an ever evolving document that is reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis with WIWAG so as to reflect changes in the forest and local community.

April, 2014