Decisions on the Annual Allowable Cut(AAC) in several timber supply areas are expected in the next few months.
Reductions are anticipated for the AAC in several timber supply areas in response to the pine beetle epidemic.
BC’s Minister of Forests Doug Donaldson says they want to make the decisions quickly to provide certainty in the industry.
“There’s a number of them that have been in the works and some of the determinations have been announced by the chief forester, so that is going to be very high on my agenda,” says Donaldson.
He says their primary focus is to create as much employment out of the logs that are harvested in the forest.
Chair of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Bill Miller said late last year that over 1,200 jobs are at stake with a 25% reduction of the median income in northern communities due to the anticipated reductions.
“Over the next decade the AAC cut is projected to decline by more than 13 million cubic metres; that’s a huge impact,” said Miller.
He pointed to investments needed in silviculture and agriculture technologies to help soften the economic blow.
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