British Columbia (B.C) is the world leader in sustainable forest management. Canada is the international leader in forest certification with British Columbia (B.C.) contributing more than any other province. Wood is the only material with third party certification programs in place to verify that products originate from a sustainably managed source. About 95% of B.C.’s forests are publicly owned and priorities for the use of these lands are developed through community-based strategic land and resource management planning.
B.C.’s Forest and Range Practices Act legislates on-the-ground results. It is built on a foundation of professional skills and accountability, and ensures public lands provide a mix of benefits such as timber, recreational opportunities, water quality, wildlife habitat, and countless other values. It also regulates construction, maintenance and deactivation of forest roads. In addition, the independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices in B.C., the Forest Practices Board, watches over all forestry activities on behalf of the public.
The process starts from site preparation, replanting, weeding, stand tending, wildlife conservation, riparian zones protection and protection of stakeholders. As the most biologically and ecologically diverse province in Canada, B.C. takes care to maintain this immense diversity through a coordinated comprehensive strategy to conserve a network of parks and protected areas totalling 14.1 million hectares (34.8 million acres).
For more information on sustainable forest management practices,click here.
