BC Leaves Allowable Annual Cut for Area South of Terrace Unchanged

On Tuesday, British Columbia’s deputy chief forester announced that the allowable annual cut (AAC) level for Tree Farm License (TFL) 41 south of Terrace will remain at 128,000 m³.

Some key factors considered in making this determination included supporting sustainable forestry, economic viability of harvest areas, wildlife habitat, terrain stability, biodiversity, old forest health, and cultural resources.

To maintain sustainable forestry practices and deter overharvesting of cedar trees and in lower sloped areas, the new determination includes the following two partitions:

• A maximum harvest of 76,800 m³ of the AAC may come from stands on slopes of less than 50%.
• A maximum of 12,800 m³ of the AAC may be harvested from any cedar species.

The TFL overlaps the territory of the Haisla Nation, the Lax Kw’alaams Band, the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, the Skin Tyee Nation, and the Gitga’at, Metlakatla, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum and Wet’suwet’en First Nations. All were consulted during the timber-supply review process. The deputy chief forester also sought and considered public and industry input.

The deputy chief forester’s AAC determination is an independent, professional judgment based on information ranging from technical forestry reports, First Nations consultations, input from the public, and the government’s social and economic objectives.

Under the Forest Act, the deputy or chief forester must determine the AAC in each of the province’s 37 timber supply areas and 34 TFLs at least once every 10 years.