Small Scale Salvage

Small Scale Salvage

SMALL SCALE SALVAGE

2006/07 ACTION PLAN

Background:

  • The program has significantly over-achieved its goals for the past 2 years.
  • Over 2 million m3 were harvested under the program during 2005/06.
  • For some areas of the province, the program has expanded beyond the policies and tenure upon which it was built.
  • Concern being raised with a program of this size include: high volume of timber being directly awarded; stewardship issues (many small unmanaged openings); displacement of timber being harvested under other programs; impacts on other FS programs; and the effect on larger logging chance.

Overall Program Direction for 2006/07:

The following overall program direction for 2006/07 has been developed based upon input from staff, the existing Three Year Strategic Plan, the Program Evaluation completed by an independent consultant, the MLA report completed in 2003 and the Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan.

  • Confirm that small scale salvage has a role to play in forest management, but is to be used judiciously in the MPB epidemic areas. Large scale harvesting operations will be the primary method to deal with MPB epidemic salvage.
  • The general direction over the coming year will be to move the Small Scale Salvage Program back to its original intent of harvesting small patches of wind-thrown timber, timber killed by endemic insects and disease, e.g. spruce bark beetle, and salvaging in post-harvest situations.
  • The ministry will encourage salvagers look to other opportunities that provide for synergies with other ministry priority areas (i.e. hazard reduction along various rights of way such as hydro lines, and roads, etc. and community fire interface).
  • The ministry will review options for establishing small sized tenure opportunities that address the concerns mentioned above (not small scale salvage).

Action Plan for 06/07

  1. Provide executive direction that confirms the continuation of the small scale salvage program, but that it should be used judiciously in MPB epidemic areas.
  1. Targets for 2006/07 should be based on the resources allocated to the program and additional resources should not be borrowed from other priorities to meet the client demand.
  1. Confirm the continued use of the professional application process.
  1. Amend the Three Year Strategic Plan to include an objective of good forest stewardship
  1. Assert worker safety as a key objective of the program.
  1. Developing a registration/certification system to ensure safe and qualified companies and high quality forest management.
  1. Review the policy that all openings under 1 hectare are not tracked or managed.
  1. Discontinue inviting applications for community salvage licences.
  1. Implement a number of initiatives to improve overall program management (ie. review performance measures; identify and monitor all benefits/costs).
  1. Promote synergies between small scale salvage and other ministry priority areas of business such as right-of-way hazard reduction (hydro lines; forest roads) and community interface fire hazard reduction operations.
  1. Review options for providing small sized tenure opportunities (not small scale salvage).
  1. Develop a consistent approach for District level strategic plans.

June 8, 2006

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