Williams Lake TSA TSR Data Package April 2013

Williams Lake TSA TSR Data PackageApril 2013Table of Contents1.Introduction . 12.Current Forest Management Considerations and Issues . 22.1Base case management assumptions . 22.2Major forest management considerations and issues . 23.Inventories . 63.1Background information . 63.2Forest cover inventory . 83.3Provincial site productivity layer . 94.Division of the Area into Management Zones . 104.1Management zones and tracking of multiple objectives . 104.2Analysis units . 105.Timber Harvesting Land Base Definition . 135.1Identification of the timber harvesting land base . 135.2Details on land base classification . 145.2.1Land not administered by the Crown for TSA timber supply . 145.2.2Land classified as non-forest . 145.2.3Roads and landings . 155.2.4Trails . 165.2.5Non-commercial cover . 165.2.6Old-growth management areas . 165.2.7Wildlife habitat areas . 175.2.8Community areas of special concern . 175.2.9Critical habitat for fish . 175.2.10Riparian reserve zone (RRZ) and riparian management zone (RMZ) reductions . 185.2.11Cultural heritage and archaeological resources . 185.2.12Areas considered inoperable . 185.2.13Low site exclusions . 195.2.14Deciduous stands . 205.2.15Wildlife trees and wildlife tree patches . 206.Current Forest Management Assumptions . 216.1Harvesting . 216.1.1Merchantable timber specifications . 216.1.2Volume exclusions for mixed-species stands . 216.1.3Minimum harvestable criteria . 226.1.4Silvicultural systems . 236.1.4.1 Mule deer winter range: transition and deep snowpack zone MDWRs . 236.1.4.2 Mule deer winter range: shallow and moderate snowpack zone MDWRs. 236.1.4.3 Caribou habitat . 246.1.5Integrated resource management . 256.1.5.1 Mature plus old-seral requirements. 256.2Volume reductions . 266.2.1Scenic areas . 266.2.2Lakeshore management zones . 266.2.3Community watersheds . 276.2.4Mature birch retention . 276.2.5Disturbance outside of the timber harvesting land base . 286.2.6Mountain pine beetle (MPB) attacked stands . 286.2.7Shelf life of mountain pine beetle impacted timber . 286.2.8Operational adjustment factors . 296.2.9Unsalvaged losses . 296.2.9.1 Current unsalvaged losses . 29ii

Williams Lake TSA TSR Data Package6.3April 20136.2.9.2 Condition of MPB-impacted young stands . 30Silviculture . 316.3.1Regeneration activities in even-aged managed stands . 316.3.2Regeneration in selectively harvested stands . 326.3.3Genetic gain . 326.3.4Grassland benchmark areas . 336.3.5Not satisfactorily restocked (NSR) areas . 336.3.6Non-salvaged MPB impacted stands . 346.3.7Fire area . 347.Sensitivity Analyses Modelling and Reporting . 357.1Sensitivity analyses to be performed . 357.2Modelling and reporting . 358.Habitat Supply Analysis . 36iii

Williams Lake TSA TSR Data PackageApril 2013Table of ContentsTABLE 1.TABLE 2.TABLE 3.TABLE 4.TABLE 5.TABLE 6.TABLE 7.TABLE 8.TABLE 9.TABLE 10.TABLE 11.TABLE 12.TABLE 13.TABLE 14.TABLE 15.TABLE 16.TABLE 17.TABLE 18.TABLE 19.TABLE 20TABLE 21.TABLE 22.TABLE 23.TABLE 24TABLE 25TABLE 26.TABLE 27.ivMAJOR FOREST MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS AND ISSUES . 2INVENTORY INFORMATION . 6INVENTORY UPDATES FOR 2009 AND 2010 FIRE DISTURBANCE . 8MANAGEMENT ZONES AND OBJECTIVES TO BE TRACKED . 10DEFINITION OF ANALYSIS UNITS . 11OWNERSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS . 14DESCRIPTION OF NON-FOREST AREAS . 15W IDTH AND AREA OF EXISTING ROAD . 15RIPARIAN MANAGEMENT AREAS . 18DESCRIPTION OF SITES WITH LOW TIMBER GROWING POTENTIAL . 19MERCHANTABLE TIMBER SPECIFICATIONS . 21MINIMUM HARVESTABLE AGE CRITERIA . 22HARVEST VOLUME (M³/HA) IN W ILLIAMS LAKE TSA (1997-2012) BASED ON CRUISE INFORMATION . 22TRANSITION AND DEEP SNOWPACK ZONES MDWRS. 23SHALLOW AND MODERATE SNOWPACK ZONE MDWRS . 24SILVICULTURE SYSTEMS-CARIBOU AREAS . 24MATURE PLUS OLD-SERAL REQUIREMENTS (%) BY NDT/BEC/LU IN W ILLIAMS LAKE TSA . 25FOREST COVER REQUIREMENTS FOR VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AREAS WITHINEACH LANDSCAPE UNIT . 26MAXIMUM PERCENT DENUDATION BY LAKESHORE MANAGEMENT CLASS . 27CUMULATIVE VOLUME (MILLIONS OF M³) AND PERCENTAGE OF MATURE PINE ON THE THLB IN 1999PROJECTED TO BE KILLED (RED- AND GREY-ATTACK) IN THE W ILLIAMS LAKE TSA DURINGSELECTED YEARS, BCMPB V9 . 28UNSALVAGED LOSSES . 29PINE VOLUME LOSSES IN YOUNG STANDS WHERE PINE COMPRISES 80% OF THE STAND VOLUME . 30REGENERATION ASSUMPTIONS FOR EVEN-AGED MANAGED STANDS BY PRE-HARVESTLEADING SPECIES . 31GENETIC GAINS FOR EXISTING MANAGED STANDS . 32GENETIC GAIN FOR FUTURE MANAGED STANDS . 33SENSITIVITY ANALYSES TO BE PERFORMED . 35SAMPLE OF REPORTS TO BE GENERATED . 35

Williams Lake TSA TSR Data PackageApril 20131. IntroductionThe data package for the Timber Supply Review (TSR) program is simply an organized and consistent formatfor supplying the basic inputs required for a timber supply analysis.This data package summarizes the information and assumptions that will be used to conduct timber supplyanalysis for the Williams Lake Timber Supply Area (TSA). The information and assumptions represent “currentperformance”, which is defined by: by the current forest management regime — the productive forest land available for timber harvesting,the silviculture treatments, the harvesting systems and the integrated resource management guidelinesused in the area; in the standards used to approve or reject operational plans or prescriptions; in land-use plans approved by Cabinet (e.g., Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan); in legal objectives established under the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Land Act (e.g., LandUse Objectives for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan); and in other approved provincial government and joint agency natural resource management practices andpolicy.This idea of current performance (the last five to ten years) should be kept in mind at all times when reviewingthe data package. In other words, the purpose of the timber supply review program is to model "what is" not"what if". Changes in forest management objectives and data, when and if they occur, will be captured in futuretimber supply analyses. This data package, while representing the best knowledge and information availabletoday, is subject to change.Each section of this data package is generally organized in the following way:1) a short explanation of the data used in the data table;2) a data table; and3) an area for comments and the source of the data.This Williams Lake TSA Timber Supply Review Data Package is being released for public review and comment,and to support First Nations consultation. Significant comments that change data inputs or descriptions ofcurrent practices that influence the analysis will be noted in the final timber supply review documents such asthe Timber Supply Analysis Public Discussion Paper and Chief Forester’s Rationale for the Allowable AnnualCut Determination.1

Williams Lake TSA TSR Data PackageApril 20132. Current Forest Management Considerations and Issues2.1Base case management assumptionsThese assumptions reflect current performance with respect to the status of forest land, forest managementpractices and knowledge of timber growth and yield. The base case harvest forecast is developed from theseassumptions and is used as a baseline for assessing the impacts of uncertainties. Section 7, "SensitivityAnalyses" identifies areas of uncertainty in data and assumptions and outlines intended sensitivity analyses thatare carried out. Additional sensitivity analyses may be performed if the initial results highlight areas of risk totimber supply.2.2Major forest management considerations and issuesTable 1 lists major forest management considerations and issues. Where possible, the issues are assesseddirectly in the timber supply analysis. If the issue does not fall within the definition of current management asdescribed in Section 1, “Introduction”, the related timber supply impacts are assessed in a sensitivity analysis.There may be significant uncertainties in defining some current management issues. In such cases, sensitivityanalysis can assist in assessing the timber supply implications and assigning degrees of risk to timber supplyduring allowable annual cut (AAC) determination.Table 1.Major forest management considerations and issuesConsideration/issueCariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan(CCLUP)Landscape and Stand-LevelBiodiversityDescriptionThe Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan (CCLUP) was announced by government inOctober, 1994. The Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan 90-Day Report (March 3,1995) has been accepted by government and the objectives have been reflected ina higher level plan order. The Cariboo-Chilcotin Land Use Plan IntegrationReport (CCLUPIR), which demonstrated the CCLUP objectives could be achievedgiven some specific adjustments to the strategies, was confirmed as "officialgovernment policy" in a June 22, 1999, memorandum signed by deputy ministers.This direction has been further refined through a series of land use planningprocesses. These include the Anahim Round Table, Sub-Regional ManagementPlans. In June, 2010, land use objectives were established by order under theLand Use Objectives Regulation of the Land Act.The Land Use Order (LUO) includes objectives for wildlife tree retention, old growthmanagement areas, critical habitat for fish, community areas of special concern,lakes management, stream, wetland and lake riparian areas, mature birchretention, grasslands, scenic areas, trails, high value wetlands for moose, andgrizzly bear. All objectives specified in the land use order are addressed in theanalysis.The establishment of old growth management areas (OGMAs) and wildlife treeretention requirements under the CCLUP LUO addressed many of thelandscape-level biodiversity components of the CCLUP and in conjunction withrecommended Biodiversity Conservation Strategy seral targets, as modified by theCCLUPIR, are considered by the district managers to be appropriate for achievingbiodiversity objectives outlined in the CCLUP.(continued)2