What are “Forest Productivity Distinctions”?

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“Forest Productivity Distinctions” and “Ecosystem-based Targets” are two phrases you’ve heard us use a lot, but what do they mean? And, why are they important regarding the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (BEHF) and the greater conservation of BC’s natural spaces as a whole? Read on to learn more!

Ecosystem-based protection targets ensure the full diversity of ecosystems in BC receive the protection they need, rather than concentrating protection in certain ecosystems and largely excluding others.

“Forest Productivity” refers to the capacity of the forest to produce large trees, with the endangered, higher productivity forests generally featuring the giant ancient trees that BC is famous for.

High-productivity forests, as well as lower elevation forests, grasslands and wetlands in general, have the greatest concentrations of biodiversity, species at risk, salmon and fish-bearing streams, and areas of greatest cultural value to First Nations in the province. However, these same ecosystems have been disproportionately excluded from protection at the behest of industry.

Ecosystem-based targets used in conjunction with forest productivity distinctions ensure the ongoing expansion of protected areas in BC prioritizes the endangered, big-tree forests, rather than focusing protection on the boggy, subalpine, and tundra ecosystems of the province. The latter of which has been the status quo for decades.

The proposed BEHF is a first-rate opportunity to ensure these high-productivity forests get the protection they need and deserve.

If you haven’t yet, please send an instant message to political decision-makers (while the January 31st deadline to make a technical submission to the bureaucrats has passed, the elected BC Cabinet — the Premier and Ministers — ultimately decides the final version) to support strong ecosystem-based targets with forest productivity distinctions.

Flip through these slides to get a break-down of forest productivity distinctions and why they’re so important! And, visit our Instagram for more educational resources!

All About the Biodiversity & Ecosystem Health Framework

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BC’s proposed Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (BEHF) is the greatest chance in BC’s history to direct the expansion of its protected areas system in the right direction.

If done right, the new biodiversity framework could usher in a major paradigm shift that safeguards the most endangered ecosystems in BC rather than primarily protecting areas with low timber value and which are less coveted by industry. These endangered ecosystems include “high productivity” old-growth forests with classic forest giants, such as the ones you see in all our photos, along with diverse valley bottom and low-elevation ecosystems.

The current draft has many promising components that should be retained, such as creating a Provincial Biodiversity Officer, but is still missing key pieces to give it the teeth it needs to be transformational.

“Ecosystem-based protection targets” devised by science and informed by Traditional Ecological Knowledge committees that incorporate all ecological communities and forest productivity distinctions (distinguishing between sites that tend to grow small vs large trees) are needed to guide the expansion of the protected areas system and the expenditure of conservation funding in BC.

The standard and permanency of new protected areas must also be upheld while enforcing accountability and transparency of the framework through legally binding milestones, objectives, and timelines.

Please join us in calling on the BC government to ensure this new framework results in the protection of old-growth forests and other threatened ecosystems across BC! Send an instant message to decision-makers using our newly updated Take-Action Tool here.

And read through these slides to learn more about this potentially history-making framework!

A man in a yellow jacket stands beside a massive Douglas-fir tree in an ancient Douglas-fir grove.

Thank You to Our Business Supporters!

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We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the following businesses for kindly supporting the old-growth campaign:

Pacifica Nurseries for their generous contribution and supportive words about why they donate to old-growth forests in BC:

“I love to contribute to the AFA because the forests in BC are such a special place and are not something that can be replaced. BC logging is such a huge business though and cannot just stop, so it’s nice that you also support sustainable second-growth logging. I also love that you involve First Nations as they deserve to be involved in the future of this land. Many thanks.”

—Nicole Widdifield, Horticulture Manager, Pacifica Nurseries

Spring Activator for their kind contribution and words of support:

“Protecting old-growth forests is a cause close to many of our hearts on the Spring team and in our community. We look forward to continuing to support your work through our 1% for the Planet commitment. Thank you for all you do.”

—Caroline von Hirschberg, Spring Co-CEO

Chris Sterry, who contributed more than half of the proceeds from his landscape paintings and urban sketches to AFA and other charities.

And Camp Wolf Willow, for their generous monthly gifts to AFA.

Your support makes our important work possible and we’re extremely grateful!

Biodiversity And Ecosystem Health Framework – Public Input Guide

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The BC government is currently accepting public input on its draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework. The following info will help you write your personalized submission. Submissions are due by January 31st, 2024.

Send your submission in your own words to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (Ministry of WLRS): biodiversity.ecosystemhealth@gov.bc.ca

Be sure to include your first and last name, home address, email, and any organization affiliation you are submitting on behalf of.

Key information

The BC government recently released a draft policy, the “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework”. If done well, it could place ecosystem integrity first to guide all land-use, forestry, and conservation policies to ensure an ecological “paradigm shift” – as called for by BC’s appointed Old-Growth Strategic Review panel’s recommendations in 2021.

To be finalized in the spring, it could result in vastly increasing the protection of BC’s most endangered ecosystems – those most impacted by industry and least included in the protected areas system, such as productive old-growth forests and lower elevation, valley bottom forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other at-risk ecosystems.

That is, a strong Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (BEHF) would up-end the status quo in conservation policy in BC that has always sought to minimize the impacts of conservation policies on resource extraction industries (in particular, to minimize the impacts of protected areas on the available timber supply for logging) and for the first time could place ecological integrity first. In turn, this will exert pressure on BC industries to operate with greater efficiency and to increase their processing operations within the province, such as fostering a modernized, value-added, second-growth forest industry.

While BC has adopted the national target to protect 30% of the land area in the province by 2030, there are currently no specific targets to ensure the protection of all of the diverse ecosystems in BC. Without legally binding “ecosystem-based targets”, protected areas will continue to emphasize the protection of ecosystems with the lowest value for logging – typically alpine, subalpine, and far northern ecosystems with low to no timber values (i.e. no trees or small trees in cold climates) – and minimize protection for the most endangered and least protected ecosystems, typically at lower elevations in southern BC where most biodiversity, species at risk, and endangered ecosystems are located, and which are most coveted for logging, development, and human settlement.

Please consider the following points to guide your written input:

We need the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (BEHF) to result in policies and legislation that:

  • Ensures ecosystem-based protection targets (ie. protected areas targets for all ecosystems) devised by science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge committees. These targets must not only be “aspirational” but legally binding. The province’s proposal to appoint a Chief Biodiversity Officer would be a major step in the right direction, especially if tasked to oversee such a scientific process.
  • Ecosystem-based targets must represent the full diversity of ecosystems and ensure their long-term persistence. That is, ecosystem-based targets must be:
    • Sufficiently “fine filter” to include all ecological communities (site series) and, just as importantly, to include forest productivity distinctions (sites that tend to grow small trees vs. medium vs. large trees). Forest productivity distinctions are vital and are the greatest glaring gap in BC’s conservation and protected areas policies – and not by accident due to the dominant paradigm that seeks to minimize protection of the high and medium-productivity forests with the largest trees to benefit the timber industry.
    • Sufficiently stringent to ensure the long-term persistence of all ecosystems by employing the latest conservation biology science to ensure a low risk to each ecosystem of losing their biodiversity and ecological integrity over time.
  • Ensures that ecosystem-based targets must guide both the expansion of the protected areas system (i.e. it must guide a much-needed “BC Protected Areas Strategy”, including the expenditure of the BC Nature Agreement and Conservation Financing funds), and guide the expansion of the conservation reserve network like Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) and Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHAs).
  • Upholds protected areas integrity, that is, ensures strong protection standards and the permanency of protected areas moving forward.
  • Loopholes must be closed in conservation reserves such as Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) which can be moved around under timber industry lobby pressure (i.e. to log the big trees and swap them for sites with smaller trees instead) and in Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHAs) which in many cases allow logging to continue (for example, the iconic Big Lonely Doug, Canada’s second-largest Douglas-fir, stands in an old-growth clearcut that is within a WHA). Any forthcoming, new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) designation must include minimum standards that forbid commercial logging (as opposed to cutting of individual trees by First Nations for cultural purposes, such as monumental cedar for community use such as dugout canoes, longhouses, and totem poles), mining or oil and gas development within them.
  • Emphasizes the establishment of provincial conservancies and other strong, legislated protected area designations, rather than primarily relying on conservation reserves that are designated via regulations (ie. not through a vote in the provincial legislature) that are more tenuous and filled with loopholes that continue to allow resource extraction or boundary shifts.
  • That ensures protection targets are legally binding, with accountability and transparency on the progress towards meeting overall and ecosystem-based protection targets. Independent advisory committees of ecologists and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Holders should develop the overall ecosystem-target methodology, followed by specific targets for each ecosystem. Policy implementation committees of policy and legal experts including First Nations should develop implementation plans on how the province can reach those targets. Independent audits of how well the government meets these targets must occur and be publicly reported, and the province must develop plans to remedy any shortfalls.
  • If done well, the resulting legislation and policies of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (BEHF) would make BC a global leader in conservation – or it could be a squandered opportunity.

Send your submission in your own words to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (Ministry of WLRS) by January, 31st, 2024: biodiversity.ecosystemhealth@gov.bc.ca

Additional Resources:

See the AFA and EEA’s media release in response to the draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework.