Five forestry companies operating in the Merritt area and another five in the Arrow Timber Supply area in the West Kootenays have had their annual allowable cuts (AAC) increased.
The five companies in the Merritt area have had their AAC increased by 373,000 cubic metres per year, effective between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015.
Companies getting the harvest levels increased are:
- Ardew Wood Products Ltd.;
- Aspen Planers Ltd.;
- Stuwix Resources Ltd.; and
- Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd.; and
- Tolko Industries Ltd.
Meanwhile, five companies in the Arrow Timber Supply area have also had a modest bump in their AAC: 22,000 cubic metres per year – a 6.3% increase – effective January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2015.
The increases are part of what the government is calling an innovative forestry practices.
Although the AAC of the individual companies will increase, the overall AAC for the Merritt and Arrow Timber supply areas remain unchanged.
To qualify for increased harvesting under an innovative forestry agreement, forestry companies must implement silvicultural or forestry management practices designed to maximize results.
That can include innovative silviculture practices or data collection and analysis relating to forest composition and growth, for example.
A general increase in harvest levels were approved as part of a broader policy change under the Mid-Term Timber Supply Review, which was struck to address a mid-term timber supply crisis arising from the fact that about half of B.C.'s merchantable timber was wiped out by the mountain pine beetle infestation.
B.C.'s forestry industry has entered what is predicted to be a supercycle of tightening timber supplies and increasing demand for lumber from a China and a recovering American housing market.
