Jennifer Gunter

The provincial government recently announced that immediate steps are being taken to help protect rare forest habitats, as well as expand forest management and planning through public engagement. The changes come after extensive consultation with First Nations, professional associations, and other stakeholders. Most notably, forest licence holders will be required to publish forest operations maps the public has access to. A digital version is currently being tested, with full functionality expected by 2024. “Providing people with an easy, user-friendly tool to view maps of local forest operations will help to promote transparency and information sharing,” said Jennifer Gunter, executive director of the BC Community Forest Association. “Forest operations maps have the potential to improve public confidence in our sector across the province.” While no date has been given, the requirement for licence holders to publish forest operations maps will go into effect soon, giving the public insight into proposed cutblocks and roads.