EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic is a natural disturbance agent that is affecting the forest ecosystems in large portions of British Columbia. Affected ecosystems still provide for a variety of functions and services which include lumber production, clean water and habitat for plants and animals. However, the MPB is is impacting the capacity of the forest ecosystems to continue to provide for timber supply in the mid-term. In effect, the mountain pine beetle will result in significant decrease in timber supply. This decrease in timber supply will in turn have negative socio-economic effects on the forest industry and on forestry-dependent communities. As part of a project aimed at exploring opportunities to mitigate the projected decline in mid-term timber supply, analyses were undertaken in four timber supply areas (TSAs): Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George and Lakes. For the Lakes TSA, these analyses forecast a mid-term harvest level of 0.5 million cubic metres per year. The pre-mountain pine beetle timber supply projection for the mid-term (2020 to 2070) was 1.5 million cubic metres per year and the current allowable annual cut is set at 2 million cubic metres per year. Mitigation opportunities explored as part of this project fall within two distinct categories: forest sector management practices and administration opportunities, and relaxation or deferral of objectives for non-timber forest values. While the technical working group solicited licensee input to evaluate potential opportunities, none other than those currently implemented (e.g. focusing harvest in pine and fertilization of young plantations under the LBIS) were identified under the forest sector management practices and administration category for the Lakes TSA.