Biological Diversity
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the full
range of living organisms, in all their forms and levels
of organization, and includes the diversity of genes,
species and ecosystems, and the evolutionary and functional
processes that link them.
The BC Forest Practices Code acknowledges the importance
of conserving biodiversity, and a supporting guidebook
has been released that addresses stand- and landscape-level
biodiversity management in a variety of ecological units
found within the province.
Management of biological diversity is currently focusing
on stand-level management. A major consideration in
managing for biodiversity at the stand level is the
retention of wildlife tree patches.
At the landscape level, ecosystem diversity is conserved
if the variety and landscape-level patterns of communities
and ecosystems that naturally occur on the landscape
unit are maintained through time.
Following the completion of a comprehensive ecosystem
mapping exercise, landscape unit boundaries are established,
biodiversity emphasis options are developed and landscape
level biodiversity objectives are determined.
Forest management objectives are then developed to
ensure that the same forest type percentages will exist
on the land base over time. Individual stands may shift
from one forest type to another for specific management
objectives but the overall forest type percentages will
be within the acceptable variance for the land base.
Where applicable, on some landscape units, these objectives
may include leaving sufficient and appropriately located
mature and old-growth forests for species dependent
on, or strongly associated with, "old" seral
stage forests.
The "old" seral stage constraints are then
factored into the timber supply analysis and proposed
forest development plans are analyzed to ensure that
operations do not compromise these "old" seral
stage targets.
Alternative silviculture systems
may be used to sustain seral stage targets.
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