BC’s chief forester has set the allowable annual cut (AAC) for the Sunshine Coast timber supply area (TSA) at 1,197,949 cubic metres, unchanged from the previous level.
The Sunshine Coast timber supply area covers about 1.6 million hectares, ranging from Howe Sound in the south to the head of Bute Inlet in the north. However, only 223,000 hectares are suitable for timber harvesting.
Jim Snetsinger, chief forester, set the AAC following a comprehensive review, including public input received during the summer and fall of 2011. “I am grateful to the many first nations, local residents, forestry experts and other organizations who provided input,” Snetsinger said in a statement. “In reviewing all submissions and applying all the technical data available, I am confident maintaining the existing allowable annual cut is in the best interests of Sunshine Coast communities and the sustainability of the forest.”
A discussion paper issued by the ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations in July 2011 outlined a harvest level of 1.65 million cubic metres per year, 38 per cent higher than the current level, which could be sustained for the next 400 years.
Following the release, a modeling error was identified, which was corrected and a revised version of the paper was released in September. It presented a harvest level of 1,363,000 cubic metres per year for the next 100 years. Afterward, the harvest level rose to 1,404,000 cubic metres a year by year 150 and then remained at that level for the remainder of the forecast. The initial level was 13.8 per cent higher than the AAC; the long-term level was 17.2 per cent higher.
Snetsinger identified a number of factors that indicated the base case in the discussion paper either overestimated or underestimated the timber supply. In the end, he concluded the Sunshine Coast has a robust timber supply that allows the ministry to have the flexibility to deal with increasing pressures on the forested land base that may emerge in the future, such as those related to clean energy projects and accommodating first nations.
“When I take into account the over- and underestimation of harvest levels relative to the base case, considerations related to the inventory, land use and AAC demand, and the advantages for maintaining a robust timber supply to address emerging pressures, I conclude that the AAC for the Sunshine Coast TSA should be maintained at 1,197,949 cubic metres,” Snetsinger wrote.
