Headquarters Resource Management Plan

Enhancing Environmental Values

Watershed Restoration Component

The vision of this component is to:

  1. Restore and protect fish habitat and water quality in high priority watersheds adversely affected by past forest harvesting practices that, without intervention, would require decades to recover naturally;
  2. Provide better knowledge, information, and tools to strengthen sustainable management of watersheds; and
  3. Provide community-based employment, training and stewardship opportunities.

The six key strategies for 2000 – 2005 as provided in the regional Resource Management Plans are:

  • Focus first on water quality and fish habitat;
  • Identification of key watersheds to guide investments;
  • Maintain an integrated whole watershed approach;
  • Encourage leverage or cost sharing with other initiatives to maximize investment and coordination;
  • Make new knowledge and learning on watershed processes and management accessible to all; and
  • Increase accountability and improve monitoring and effectiveness evaluation.

On an annual basis the HRMP is designed to provide important technical and applied scientific support towards effective achievement of the WRP vision and strategies. Watershed restoration is a relatively new and needed initiative in British Columbia, thus requiring technical and training support to be effective and efficient. Further the effectiveness of the forest practices Act (the Code) and the health of forested watersheds are co-dependent upon the effectiveness of the Code (for new forest harvesting) and the Watershed Restoration Program (for past logging impacts).

In the Watershed Restoration Program, the Ministry of Forests (MoF) has responsibility for hillslope rehabilitation and the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks (MELP) for stream restoration, with overlapping responsibilities for restoration of riparian areas. It is recognized by both ministries and FRBC that all watershed components are physically and biologically interconnected, thus requiring an integrated watershed approach to maximize the benefits of the Program and to ensure delivery of the goals.

This component satisfies all of the eligibility criteria, performance targets and linkage requirements as follows.

  1. This component will contribute to the restoration and protection of fish habitat and water quality by:
  • Developing and refining guidelines, standards, processes and procedures,
  • Encouraging innovation and learning through performance measurement of WRP projects, combined with adaptive management.
  1. The WRP component complements and facilitates existing regional investments by:
  • Facilitating and improving decision support for investments;
  • Providing training, tools, and knowledge to assist ministry regional / district staff, industry proponents, and forest workers involved in operational implementation;
  • Promoting the Watershed Restoration program through joint agency communications and public awareness initiatives.
  1. This component relies on partnerships with Forest Renewal BC, the Ministry of Forests, the Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks, and industry proponents to make new knowledge and learning on watershed processes and management accessible to all.
  2. The planning process is transparent and involves existing advisory groups such as Regional Watershed Co-ordinators, Technical Review and Evaluation Working Group (TREWG), and other appropriate watershed proponents.

WRP Effectiveness Evaluation Implementation

A key strategy towards achieving the watershed restoration program vision and goals is the monitoring and effectiveness evaluation of past and ongoing operational projects. Watershed Restoration proponents are responsible through their Multi-Year Agreements for implementing Routine Effectiveness Evaluations. Subject to agreement between the Agencies and watershed proponents, the ministries are prepared to take on the responsibility for the co-ordination and implementation of Intensive Effectiveness Evaluations and Operational Techniques Refinement. This is incremental to the Headquarters Resource Management Plan and is presented within for further consideration and discussion.