FSC STD CAN 17 2005 Canadian British Colombia EN
Forest Stewardship Council
Regional Certification Standards
for British Columbia
Main Standards
Forest Stewardship Council Canada
October 2005
This standard was developed by the FSC BC Regional Initiative for
Forest Stewardship Council Canada, and accredited by
FSC International in October 2005.
Questions or suggestions for revision can be sent to FSC Canada at:
400-70 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario M5E 1R2
Tel: 1-877-571-1133
Fax: 416-778-0044
Email: standards@fsccanada.org
www.fsccanada.org
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………..4
The Geographic Area Covered by these Standards ............................................. 4
Small Operations.................................................................................................. 4
Indicators for Compliance with FSC Principles and Criteria in British
Columbia................................................................................. 5
Principle 1: Compliance with Laws and FSC Principles..................................... 5
Principle 2: Tenure and Use Rights and Responsibilities.................................... 9
Principle 3: Indigenous Peoples’ Rights............................................................ 13
Principle 4: Community Relations and Worker’s Rights .................................. 17
Principle 5: Benefits from the Forest................................................................. 22
Principle 6: Environmental Impacts .................................................................. 27
Principle 7: Management Plan........................................................................... 44
Principle 8: Monitoring and Assessment ........................................................... 48
Principle 9: Maintenance of High Conservation Value Forests ........................ 51
Principle 10: Plantations .................................................................................... 54
Appendix A: Glossary................................................................................. 58
Appendix B: Requirements for Riparian Management.......................... 83
Appendix C: Highly Hazardous Pesticides............................................... 97
Appendix D: High Conservation Value Forest Assessment Framework99
Appendix E: List of Publications Referred to in the Standards........... 116
FSC-BC Regional Standards – October 2005
3
Introduction
To assist the reader, each occurrence of a defined term is bolded throughout these standards. A
glossary of these terms is provided in Appendix A. Other publications referred to in the standards
are listed in Appendix E.
The Geographic Area Covered by these Standards
The FSC Regional Certification Standards for B.C. are intended for application throughout the
province of British Columbia, except for the portion of northern B.C. where the National Boreal
Standard applies. This Boreal area is defined by the presence of the Boreal White and Black
Spruce (BWBS) and the Spruce Willow Birch (SWB) biogeoclimatic zones (roughly the area
within the Boreal, Sub-arctic and Sub-arctic Highlands ecodivisions (see glossary for
biogeoclimatic and ecoregional classifications). Forest management units that include land
covered by the B.C. Standard and the National Boreal Standard will normally be certified with
the B.C. standard, unless the area outside of the boreal region is small, in which case the National
Boreal Standard is used. In case of doubt the certification body should consult with FSC Canada.
British Columbia encompasses 95 million hectares or 234 million acres (the combined size of
France, Germany and the Netherlands) with relatively little development. Forests, which cover
about two-thirds of the province, are central to B.C.’s way of life—not only in terms of the
economy and jobs, but also for recreation, drinking water, wildlife, and spiritual values.
British Columbia is a diverse province, more variable physically and biologically than any
comparable region in Canada. Broadly speaking BC is a cool, moist, mountainous, forested
region with areas of semi-arid, subarctic, and alpine climates. The province has been ecologically
classified into 14 biogeoclimatic zones, based on mean annual precipitation, temperature, soils
and vegetation. Forests dominate the vegetation but there are also areas of grasslands, wetlands,
scrub and tundra.
Because of the wide variation described above, these standards are designed for use in any type of
forest or ecosystem found in the province. For this reason they require site-specific interpretation
by the forest manager and by the certification body suited to the specific ecological context of
each management unit.
Small Operations
FSC-BC recognizes that scale and intensity of management varies from one management unit to
another. In response to those differences there are an additional set of standards that apply to
small operations in BC: FSC Regional Certification Standards for BC – Small Operations
Standards. Management units meeting the criteria outlined below should use that document.
Small operations are defined as:
•
meet the FSC-Canada definition of Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (i.e.
SLIMFs – management units less than 1,000 ha, OR management units that have an
allowable annual cut that is
Regional Certification Standards
for British Columbia
Main Standards
Forest Stewardship Council Canada
October 2005
This standard was developed by the FSC BC Regional Initiative for
Forest Stewardship Council Canada, and accredited by
FSC International in October 2005.
Questions or suggestions for revision can be sent to FSC Canada at:
400-70 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario M5E 1R2
Tel: 1-877-571-1133
Fax: 416-778-0044
Email: standards@fsccanada.org
www.fsccanada.org
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………..4
The Geographic Area Covered by these Standards ............................................. 4
Small Operations.................................................................................................. 4
Indicators for Compliance with FSC Principles and Criteria in British
Columbia................................................................................. 5
Principle 1: Compliance with Laws and FSC Principles..................................... 5
Principle 2: Tenure and Use Rights and Responsibilities.................................... 9
Principle 3: Indigenous Peoples’ Rights............................................................ 13
Principle 4: Community Relations and Worker’s Rights .................................. 17
Principle 5: Benefits from the Forest................................................................. 22
Principle 6: Environmental Impacts .................................................................. 27
Principle 7: Management Plan........................................................................... 44
Principle 8: Monitoring and Assessment ........................................................... 48
Principle 9: Maintenance of High Conservation Value Forests ........................ 51
Principle 10: Plantations .................................................................................... 54
Appendix A: Glossary................................................................................. 58
Appendix B: Requirements for Riparian Management.......................... 83
Appendix C: Highly Hazardous Pesticides............................................... 97
Appendix D: High Conservation Value Forest Assessment Framework99
Appendix E: List of Publications Referred to in the Standards........... 116
FSC-BC Regional Standards – October 2005
3
Introduction
To assist the reader, each occurrence of a defined term is bolded throughout these standards. A
glossary of these terms is provided in Appendix A. Other publications referred to in the standards
are listed in Appendix E.
The Geographic Area Covered by these Standards
The FSC Regional Certification Standards for B.C. are intended for application throughout the
province of British Columbia, except for the portion of northern B.C. where the National Boreal
Standard applies. This Boreal area is defined by the presence of the Boreal White and Black
Spruce (BWBS) and the Spruce Willow Birch (SWB) biogeoclimatic zones (roughly the area
within the Boreal, Sub-arctic and Sub-arctic Highlands ecodivisions (see glossary for
biogeoclimatic and ecoregional classifications). Forest management units that include land
covered by the B.C. Standard and the National Boreal Standard will normally be certified with
the B.C. standard, unless the area outside of the boreal region is small, in which case the National
Boreal Standard is used. In case of doubt the certification body should consult with FSC Canada.
British Columbia encompasses 95 million hectares or 234 million acres (the combined size of
France, Germany and the Netherlands) with relatively little development. Forests, which cover
about two-thirds of the province, are central to B.C.’s way of life—not only in terms of the
economy and jobs, but also for recreation, drinking water, wildlife, and spiritual values.
British Columbia is a diverse province, more variable physically and biologically than any
comparable region in Canada. Broadly speaking BC is a cool, moist, mountainous, forested
region with areas of semi-arid, subarctic, and alpine climates. The province has been ecologically
classified into 14 biogeoclimatic zones, based on mean annual precipitation, temperature, soils
and vegetation. Forests dominate the vegetation but there are also areas of grasslands, wetlands,
scrub and tundra.
Because of the wide variation described above, these standards are designed for use in any type of
forest or ecosystem found in the province. For this reason they require site-specific interpretation
by the forest manager and by the certification body suited to the specific ecological context of
each management unit.
Small Operations
FSC-BC recognizes that scale and intensity of management varies from one management unit to
another. In response to those differences there are an additional set of standards that apply to
small operations in BC: FSC Regional Certification Standards for BC – Small Operations
Standards. Management units meeting the criteria outlined below should use that document.
Small operations are defined as:
•
meet the FSC-Canada definition of Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests (i.e.
SLIMFs – management units less than 1,000 ha, OR management units that have an
allowable annual cut that is