GENERAL AWARENESS TRAINING BCTS SFM Commitments BC Timber

GENERAL AWARENESS TRAINING

BCTS SFM Commitments BC Timber Sales is committed to managing and administering forest management activities on our operations through effective measures that ensure sustainable forest management (SFM). The BCTS SFM Policy includes commitments to: • Comply with legislation, regulations, policies and other requirements: • Provide public participation opportunities to the public and Aboriginal Peoples; • Confer with, respect and recognize Aboriginal title and rights, and treaties: • Maintain a culture for health and safety of staff, clients and the public; • Honour all international agreements and conventions to which Canada is a signatory; • Improve knowledge of the forest and SFM and to monitor and incorporate advances in science and technology; • Promote awareness of SFM to our clients and the public; • Strive for excellence in forest management through continual improvement.

BCTS Sustainable Forest Management Plan 4 Encompass environmental, economic and social dimensions 4 Outlines the Principles and Objectives of the 2010 -2014 Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SF) Standard 4 Sets out BCTS Commitments and Actions to achieve conformance with the SFI Standard

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program 4 Continuous improvement was applied to refine the previous SFI Standard 4 System of principles, objectives and performance measures 4 Long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality 4 SFI Program Participants must comply with the SFI Standard 4 Principles address economic, environmental, cultural and legal issues 4 Commitment to continuously improve SFM

SFI Standard 4 SFI Objectives are delivered through our EMS 4 Requires continuous improvement 4 EMS and SFI programs ensure that forest management activities and timber harvesting are well managed 4 SFI Program Participants must comply with all portions of the SFI Standard relevant to their operations,

SFI Standard 4 Applies to all forest lands in North America 4 Some of the applicable laws and regulations in BC and Canada include: • BC Forest Act • BC Forest and Range Practices Act • Canadian Species at Risk Act 4 SFI program does not try to duplicate mandatory sustainable forestry legislation and processes 4 SFI Standard purposefully focuses on continual improvement

SFI Principles SFI Objectives Best Management Practices

In this section you will learn about the Principles for Sustainable Forestry. SFI Principles

SFI Principles 1 - 7 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Sustainable Forestry Forest Productivity and Health Protection of Water Resources Protection of Biological Diversity Aesthetics and Recreation Protection of Special Sites Responsible Fibre Sourcing Practices

SFI Principles 8 - 14 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Avoidance of Controversial Fibre Sources Legal Compliance Research Training and Education Public Involvement Transparency (of audit findings) Continual Improvement

In this section you will learn about the Objectives for Sustainable Forestry. SFI Objectives

SFI Objectives for Sustainable Forestry • Some Program Participants own forestland, others own forestland manufacturing facilities, and still others own manufacturing facilities only • SFI Program Participants must comply with all portions of the standard that are relevant to their operations

SFI Objectives for Sustainable Forestry SFIS objectives 1 -7 provide measures forest land management. SFIS objectives 8 – 13 provides measures for fibre sourcing. These objectives do not apply to BCTS SFIS objectives 14 -20 provide measures for research, training, legal compliance, public and landowner involvement, communication and public reporting, management review, and continual improvement.

SFI Objectives Objective 1: Forest Management Planning To broaden implementation of sustainable forestry by ensuring long-term forest productivity and yield based on the use of the best scientific information available.

SFI Objectives Objective 2: Forest Productivity To ensure long-term forest productivity, carbon storage, and conservation of forest resources through prompt reforestation, soil conservation, afforestation, and other measures.

SFI Objectives Objective 3: Protection and Maintenance of Water Resource To protect water quality in rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies

SFI Objectives Objective 4: Conservation of Biological Diversity including Forests of Exceptional Conservation Value To manage the quality and distribution of wildlife habitats and contribute to the conservation of biological diversity by developing and implementing stand landscape level measures that promote habitat diversity and the conservation of forest plants and animals, including aquatic species.

SFI Objectives Objective 5: Management of Visual Quality and Recreational Benefits To manage the visual impact of forest operations and provide recreational opportunities for the public.

SFI Objectives Objective 6: Protection of Special Sites To manage lands that are ecologically, geologically or culturally important in a manner that takes into account their unique qualities.

SFI Objectives Objective 7: Efficient Use of Forest Resource To promote the efficient use of forest resources

SFI Objectives 8 -13: Fibre Sourcing Objectives Relate to wood procurement activities by SFI Program Participants Not Applicable to BCTS

SFI Objectives Objective 14: Legal and Regulatory Compliance with applicable federal, provincial and local laws and regulations.

SFI Objectives Objective 15: Forest Research, Science and Technology To support forestry research, science and technology upon which sustainable forest management decisions are based

SFI Objectives Objective 16: Training and Education To improve the implementation of sustainable forestry practices through appropriate training and education programs.

SFI Objectives Objective 17: Community Involvement in the Practice of Sustainable Forestry To broaden the practice of sustainable forestry by encouraging the public and forestry community to participate in commitment to sustainable forestry, and publicly report progress

SFI Objectives Objective 18: Public Land Management Responsibilities To promote and implement sustainable forest management on public lands

SFI Objectives Objective 19: Communications and Public Reporting To broaden the practice of sustainable forestry by documenting progress and opportunities for improvement

SFI Objectives Objective 20: Management Review and Continual Improvement To promote continual improvement in the practice of sustainable forestry, and to monitor, measure, and report performance in achieving the commitment to sustainable forestry

Best Management Practices In this section you will learn about the BCTS Best Management Practices (BMPs) that are currently available.

BCTS SFI BMPs BCTS is certified to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) standard. BCTS SFI Best Management Practices (BMPs) include EMS Operational Controls, such as: l Environmental Operating Procedures (EOPs) l Environmental Field Procedures (EFPs) l Forms and Checklists l Environmental Emergency Response Plans (e. ERPs) l Local Operational Controls Adherence to BCTS SFI BMPs will ensure activities are conducted in a manner that is consistent with the BCTS SFM and Environmental Policies.

BCTS SFI BMPs EOPs and EFPs provide workers with Best Management Practices to be followed for the following types of activities: EOPs l l l Planning, LP Operations, BCTS Projects , LWCP Planning and Operations, Incident Reports. EFPs l l General, Project Supervision, Development and Planning, Roads, Bridges and Culverts, Harvesting, Fuel Handling, Dryland Sort, Marine Log Handling Facilities EOPs and EFPs are located on the BCTS EMS Websites maintained by Business Areas (BAs) : http: //www. for. gov. bc. ca/bcts/areas/

BCTS SFI BMPs In addition to EOPs and EFPs, BCTS BAs have developed additional Best Management Practices that apply locally: Examples include: l Standard Operating Procedures, Heavy Rainfall Shutdown (Skeena BA) l Water Disruption Emergency Response Plan for Community and Domestic Consumptive Use Watersheds for BCTS Client Use (Kootenay BA) Ground Based Harvesting Guidelines (Strait of Georgia BA) l For a complete list of BCTS Provincial and local EMS /SFM-related BMPs, see the BCTS BA Certification web pages

Summary 4 One of the significant objectives is to show continuous improvement throughout all of the aspects of the program 4 Training sessions in both the EMS and SFI programs ensure staff, licensees and contractors are kept up-to-date 4 Ensures that our forest management activities and the timber we sell will have undergone stringent oversight 4 Adherence to BCTS SFI BMPs will ensure activities are conducted in a manner that is consistent with the BCTS SFM and Environmental Policies.

Congratulations! You have now completed the Sustainable Forestry Initiative General Awareness Training