The past decade has been a time of significant change for forestry and land use in British Columbia. The provincial government's land use strategy has brought hundreds of British Columbians to planning tables (participatory, multi-stakeholder land use planning teams) in an effort to reconcile diverse interests and try to find ways to manage natural resources in a manner that will ensure that a wide range of values and interests are met. These efforts are ongoing - some land use plans have been approved and are in various phases of implementation; numerous land and resource management plans are under discussion; and, some regions of the province are just beginning land use planning processes.
At the same time as these efforts are under way, the provincial government has passed and amended legislation, regulations and policies respecting forest practices. Many of these have a direct bearing on land use plans. The Forest Practices Code is one of the most recent examples of legislation and policy governing forest resource use.
This Guide to Forest Land Use Planning provides a comprehensive source of information on the laws and policies respecting the use of public forest land in BC. Most land use planning takes place within the framework of these laws and policies. By becoming familiar with them, those of you involved in forest land use planning will better understand the structure, hierarchy and intent of the planning process. An integral part of land use planning is the use of designations which explicitly define permissible land use activities within a specific area. The appropriate use of such designations can be a powerful tool with which to achieve certain land use objectives. This Guide explains the full range of land use designation options, and clarifies how these designations can be incorporated into the planning process.
Land use planning is governed by a plethora of laws, regulations, guidebooks, policies and directives, making it impossible to provide an exhaustive guide in a single, usable volume. This Guide will, however, provide you with all the basic information. Through the sources cited for further reference, you will be able to find your way to more detailed information where required.
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR, MARCH 2001
The Guide to Forest Land Use Planning has been updated to reflect changes to forestry-related law and policy that have occurred since the Guide was last updated in November of 1999. New developments that are reflected in the March 2001 updates to the Guide include the following:
- • Approval of new Higher Level Plans as well as the completion of Land and Resource Management Plans in a number of areas;
- development of regulations related to community forest agreements;
- bringing into force of amendments to the Forest Land Reserve Act and associated legislation which provide a new regime for managing privately owned forest lands;
- new editions of several Forest Practices Code Guidebooks, including the Silviculture Prescription Guidebook, Visual Impact Assessment Guidebook, Range Use Guidebook and the Establishment to Free Growing Guidebooks; and
- various amendments to the Forest Act, Forest Practices Code and other legislation which impacts on land use planning on public forest lands.