Creston Community Forest Sector 
Transition Strategy

The forest industry in the Creston Valley is experiencing a major transition. A number of government initiatives are changing traditional forest use and practices, and global marketing and public involvement now have a direct influence on forest management practices. The main initiatives that are creating change include the following:

i) Timber Supply Review - a review carried out by the Ministry of Forests for each Timber Supply Area (TSA) in BC every five years (the last review began in 1998). The 1994 Review resulted in the implementation of a 22% reduction from the previous annual allowable cut. 

ii) The Forest Practices Code - came into force in 1995 and regulates the fundamental way that forestry is practiced in the province. The integrated resource use provisions tend to reduce available harvest volume, but the intensive management requirements increase employment. The increased financial burden associated with Code provisions impacts the sector as well. 

iii) West Kootenay-Boundary Land Use Plan - the main component of this plan was a land use designation system that broadly classified the crown land base. The classification included provincial and regional targets for each designation. The application of this classification was on a Forest District basis. The Kootenay Lake Forest District received a larger share of certain land designations and is impacted by the land use plan more than other forest districts. 

iv) Native Land Claims - representatives from Creston are involved in the treaty process and discussions are in the preliminary stages. The Native land claim fuels forest industry uncertainty concerning long term forest resources.

v) Forest Renewal BC - a government organization mandated to plan and implement a program of investments to renew the forest economy of BC. 

The first four initiatives directly influence timber availability to local mills. These initiatives cumulatively increase the cost of production which has affected many operations.

The definition of forest sector employment is also changing. Historically, forest workers were involved in the primary forest industry (logging and milling) while Ministry of Forests staff administered the harvest and were responsible for suppressing forest fires. The forest sector is now seen to include a broad range of workers including scientists in a number of fields, value-added manufacturers, forestry-related recreation, tourism, education and training, agro-foresty and silviculture.

The focus of the forest transition strategy is to explore opportunities to manage the change that has begun to take place in the local forest industry. The plan assumes to accept the results of the processes that are creating the change. It is not intended to critically analyze the government initiatives that are causing the transition or to lobby for their reform. The goals of the strategy are:

i) to expand, or at least maintain, current employment levels in the local forest sector while recognizing the declining sustainable harvest level;

ii) to incorporate the goals and objectives of the regional land use plan in a community strategy; and,

iii) to define and develop opportunities within the forest sector in an effort to minimize negative impacts that may occur as a result of reductions in the timber supply.

The following transitional opportunities and issues have been identified:

The plan includes a diverse range of initiatives and involves a broad cross-section of the community through a large number of existing committees. Coordination and promotion is proposed through the Creston Valley Economic Development Commission.