Deforestation in British Columbia
Deforestation in British Columbia has resulted in a net loss of 1.06 million hectares (2.6 million acres) of tree cover between the years 2000 and 2020.[1] More traditional losses have been exacerbated by increased threats from climate change driven fires, increased human activity, and invasive species. The introduction of sustainable forestry efforts such as the Zero Net Deforestation Act seeks to reduce the rate of forest cover loss.
In British Columbia, forests cover over 55 million hectares, which is 57.9% of British Columbia's 95 million hectares of land.
Environmental Issues
Deforestation has negative impacts on British Columbia's environment and diversity even though it is necessary for population expansion and benefits for the Canadian economy.
Carbon emissions and greenhouse gases
Species diversity
Species diversity is an important ecological part of B.C.'s forests and the act of deforestation can reduce the diversity by taking away crucial environments for both the plant and animal species to live in. There are currently 116 species, which is approximately 10% of species in B.C., that are on the B.C. Conservation Data Centre's Red List which are endangered species associated with the forest.[6] Deforestation events such as agriculture, introduction of exotic species and timber production threaten the species. After deforestation events, the replanting of trees also had a decrease in diversity of the number of tree species per area due to dominated by single tree species.[7] Currently, changes have been made in replanting strategies by planting different species in one area, which has reduced the problem of dominating species.[8]
Soil composition
The soil composition is affected by different deforestation processes of removing trees as it changes the soil productivity through compaction or removal. The soil holds more than just the nutrients and plants in the forests, it consists of inorganic material, organic matter, air, water, and many micro and macro-organisms.[9] The act of deforestation requires the forest sector to build roads, which decrease the productive land base, to be able to access the trees which went down from 4.6% of the area harvest in the mid-1990s to 3.5% in 2008.[10] New stricter enforcement of laws regarding soil disturbance has dramatically reduced the degree of soil disturbances to the harvested area from 43 enforcement actions in 1995 to only 3 in 2008.[11] Soil conservation is an important environmental issue to consider as it maintains water quality, ecosystem productivity, and future economic benefits.[9]
Water
Water is an essential part to the ecosystem of forests including the plants and animal species survival, stream, rivers and lakes habitats and also human activities. The act of deforestation can affect the quality of water, quantity of water as well as the aquatic ecosystems located in the forests.
Zero Net Deforestation Act
In 2010 the province of British Columbia introduced a new piece of legislature called the Zero Net Deforestation Act, which plans to reduce green house gas emission as well as protect B.C.'s forests.
Forestry Management in British Columbia
The province British Columbia in Canada is known for its high biodiversity with over 185 wildlife vertebrate, 171 bird species, and a variety of conifer and deciduous trees.[16] In forestry management, it is important to recognize the cumulative effects of habitat and environmental changes that have the potential to threaten BC forests. Looking at sustainability in forest management requires comparing the ecological impacts of timber harvesting and of natural disturbances, such as fire, insects and disease.[17]
Threats to British Columbia Forests
Fire
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, forest fires were viewed in an
The relationship between fire and stand (tree) development is complex and requires careful consideration.Human Activity
British Columbia is one of the world's largest exporters of wood fibre.[19] In 2015 it was reported that British Columbia forestry supports 145,800 jobs and 7000 businesses, with an annual revenue of 15.7 billion dollars.[19] Nationally, Canada's deforestation can be attributed to urban development of transportation corridors and recreation (19%), hydroelectric development (10%), the forestry sector (10%), and other natural resource extraction industries (8%).[20] British Columbia enforces a cap on the allowable annual cut by setting the maximum amount of timber allowed to be harvested by each company.[19] In the province, 8.1% of British Columbia is protected from harvesting, these are known as protected areas.[19]
Invasive Species
Managing British Columbia Forest Threats
Management of Fire
Natural wildfire provides many benefits to forest ecosystems such as forest succession, species longevity, stocking, biodiversity, pest control, and soil fertility.
Management of Human Activity
To address the human impacts on forests in British Columbia, management needs to plan for the long term (100–200 years in the future).[23] The complexity of climate change and ecological systems means that management methods should extend to ecosystems overall, rather than only stands on trees.[23][24] Management methods should also be multi-objective in practice in order to assess forest attributes such as biodiversity, timber production, carbon storage and recreation purposes.[24]
A comprehensive management technique is called the Decision Support System (DSS).[24] DSS outlines the complexity of actions with regards to forestry and addresses the consequences of different management techniques over a range of ecological, economic, and social indicators.[24] This is done by highlighting potential conflicts, using a science-based framework, conveying knowledge about long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems, and providing guidance by projecting trends within indicators.[24] Simulation models are useful to determine what the best method is for harvesting trees.[17] These models can be used to maintain specific or at-risk ecosystem types by using scientific knowledge.[17]
A provincial management method implemented by British Columbia is the Forest Practices Code. This code must be followed by all forestry companies and there are repercussions if rules of the code are broken. Penalties include fines, reduction of allowable size of clearcuts or the removal of a company's ‘right to cut’.[25]
A common resource management method used in many fields is the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle states that when the impacts of an action are unknown, the action should not be executed.[26] Within this principle is the concept of sustainable development of natural resources which requires that the stock of capital of a product be maintained, and only harvesting what is above the base-stock.[26]
Landscape management is a technique for commercial forestry companies to implement by allowing for longer rotations between cutting.[27] Depending on the characteristics of a region (i.e. soil productivity, topography, proximity to mills), certain areas can be managed specifically for intensive wood production, while leaving other areas untouched for regeneration.[27] This technique requires the management of the entire forest, rather than an isolated section in order to take into account the social, environmental, and economic needs of a region[27]
Management of Invasive Species
Management for invasive species requires monitoring, modelling, and assistance in promoting migration and genetic diversity.[21] In addition to this, reducing the amount of timber harvested will conserve the present stand of trees.[21] Monitoring insect and disease occurrences over long periods of time gives a better understanding of the effects of climate change and how forests respond to it.[21] The information from monitoring can be used to model and forecast the range of potential future changes with indicators such as volume harvested, gross profit, ecosystem carbon storage, age-class distribution and patch-size distribution.[21][24] The data from monitoring and modelling can be used to determine which tree species to breed or reintroduce in an area in order to increase tree stand resilience and reduce susceptibility to invasive species.[21]
See also
- Clearcutting in British Columbia
- Deforestation
- Deforestation in Canada
- List of Forest Regions and Districts of British Columbia
References
- ^ "Global Forest Watch-Canada-British Columbia". GlobalForestWatch.org. Global Forest Watch. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b c "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 66. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 92. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 94. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b c "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 102. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "The State of British Columbia's Forests - Third Edition (2010)" (PDF). p. 103. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b c "Ministry of Forests and Range news release". Archived from the original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Martin, Kathy; Norris, Andrea; Drever, Mark (2006-11-22). "Effects of bark beetle outbreaks on avian biodiversity in the British Columbia interior: Implications for critical habitat management". Journal of Ecosystems and Management. 7 (3).
- ^ ISSN 0304-3800.
- ^ ISSN 0015-7546.
- ^ a b c d "Overview of the BC Forestry Industry" (PDF). Chartered Professional Accountants BC. Fall 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2018. Retrieved Feb 15, 2018.
- ^ "Deforestation in Canada - What are the facts?" (PDF). Natural Resources Canada. May 2008. Retrieved Feb 15, 2018.
- ^ ISSN 0015-7546.
- ^ S2CID 205212545.
- ^ ISSN 0378-1127.
- ^ ISSN 0378-1127.
- ^ "Evolution of the Forest Practices Code". www.for.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ doi:10.1139/x04-172.
- ^ ISSN 0015-7546.