Community Forest
Powell River Community Forest Ltd. (PRFC Ltd.) has been awarded a
Provisional Community Forest Agreement. This form of tenure grants the
licensee the right to manage the forest and harvest timber on Crown
Land within the licence area. Powell River Community Forest Ltd. must
manage the forest for environmental, recreational and other values
while harvesting the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC).
The
Community Forest is entirely made up of crown Land and all
operations must abide by the same regulations as forest companies.
The differences between a private company and the Community Forest are that the Community Forest Company:
• is lead by a Board of Directors who are local citizens and can be approached more easily by the people of Powell River.
• has a direct interest in maintaining the water quality of the Haslam-Lang watershed.
• has an interest in recreation activities within the forest area.
• profits stay in Powell River to fund local capital projects.
• is small
The AAC
The Annual Allowable Cut or AAC for a tenure is the allowable rate of
timber harvest for that tenure. It is set by the Ministry of Forests
according to Section 8 of the Forest Act, and reflects the growing
potential of the land base. The AAC for Powell River Community Forest
is set at 25 000 cubic metres of timber per year. The Crown receives
stumpage payments for the volume of timber harvested. Twenty-five
thousand cubic metres of timber is roughly the equivalent of harvesting
thirty to thirty-five hectares of mature forest.
Communicating with the Public
The Community Forest Board has got a website: you found it! Proposed
and approved harvest plans and maps are available for viewing in
the Maps page on this site. If you have block specific comments please
contact the Forest Manger. You can contact the board by e-mail at info@prcommunityforest.ca or
at the address at the bottom of this page. Individuals and groups are
invited to address board meetings with ideas and concerns.
Replanting
All
areas logged within the Community Forest will be replanted and tended
until the young trees reach a stage called “Free to Grow”. This is a
condition of the tenure. The tree species chosen for planting will
depend on the characteristics of the site(soil, moisture, sunlight).
Often native Douglas-fir and western red cedar are planted.
Natural regeneration of local species will also occupy the re-growing
areas.
Watershed
The
board has committed to following the guidelines for riparian management
outlined in the Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) For more
information look at the IWMP and the Forest Stewardship Plan.
Trails
Many of the Duck Lake trails and part of the Sunshine Coast Trail are
in the community forest area. These are community assets, and all
forest operations will be conducted so that the trail system is
maintained. At times, some trails may be closed or re-routed for safety
reasons. Harvesting along the trails will be planned to minimize the
impact on the view from the trail.
For more information on trail building in the area check out the BOMB Squad.
There
are small old growth pockets and a small amount of high elevation
old growth (trees greater than 250 years old) within the community
forest. There are no plans to log these areas. As retention areas age,
older trees will exist throughout the community forest at lower
elevations and along waterways. These stands will have old growth
characteristics for wildlife habitat and recreation.
Local Businesses
One of the values of the community forest is to provide opportunities
to local operators, mill owners and value-added manufacturers. Local
businesses often look for small amounts of specific types of wood. PRCF
wants to work with local operators to identify their needs and offer
targeted parcels for sale from the community forest.
In the past two years PRFC has sold timber to these local businesses:
Lois Lumber
Outback Milling
Jackson Cedar
Hogan Log Homes
Theden Forest Products
Drew Padgett |
