Lillooet Update Feb 22, 2010

Completed Projects:

1) Reforested 64 hectares of Wildfire impacted stands with 96,015 trees. Species planted were Douglas-fir, spruce, ponderosa pine (yellow pine) and lodgepole pine. Project was completed spring 2009.

Active Projects:

1) Communities in the Southern Interior Region have expressed their desire to be more involved in the implementation and the planning phases of the FFT Program. Involvement in the up front planning process will foster greater engagement by communities and help reduce the costs associated with the referral processes.
In addition, this will produce a more encompassing plan to more thoroughly address the strategic goals and objectives of the FFT program.
There are two "5 Year FFT Community Integrated Investment Plan" projects within the Lillooet TSA. One involves the First Nations Bands within the Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council (NNTC) and one involves the Lillooet Tribal Council.
The purpose of these two projects is to generate a greater involvement in the FFT program by including First Nations Communities and Community Forests in the up front planning, selection of candidate units for treatment and implementation of the FFT program. This in turn will provide for more broad support of the program at the local level.
The project is a 5 year operational plan and is a means of identifying communities’ interests, potential opportunities and capacity. The 5 year operational plan will identify opportunities/synergies, community expectations, and set 2 year and 3 year goals.

2) 240 hectares have been identified and layed out for Overstory Removal of Mountain Pine Beetle attacked stands in the French Bar area. The project addresses previously unsold BC Timber Sales blocks, provides an opportunity to salvage beetle killed timber and reforest an area that otherwise would go untreated. The advertising and tendering for the Overstory Removal Treatment is expected to happen in early December with the intention of having the treatment completed over the winter months.

3) A 10 day Advanced level Accredidated Silviculture Surveyors course to train and increase the capacity of Silviculture Surveyors conducting silviculture surveys under the FFT program is scheduled for the month of October. Topics to be covered are; Biogeoclimatic classification, stratification, survey legislation, design and procedures, forest health, variety of survey types (stocking, Free Growing, multi-story), and treatment recommendations. An exam will be completed at the end. This project was completed in early November with 6 people attending the course.

4) Completed 77 hectares of Regeneration Survival surveys on areas previously planted in 2007 under the FFT program to assess plantation survival.

5) Completed 725 hectares of layout and Preliminary Field Reviews on areas impacted by the Wildfires. Mt. McLean, Seton Ridge and Sleetsis fires are targeted. These areas are scheduled to be planted in Spring 2010.

6) Planting planning and tendering of planting blocks for 2010 planting is ongoing.

7) Completed wildfire surveys on 905 hectares within the 2009 Mt. McLean and Tyaughton Lake fires.

8) Initiated the sowing request for 2011 planting, which includes areas burned in 2009.

9) Considerable effort is being put forth to work with and engage the Lillooet Tribal Council First Nations Bands in various work opportunities at the ground level within the FFT program. This effort is seeing success through employment of First nations people in survey and layout activities within the Lillooet TSA.

New since January, 2010

10) Initiated a project for the planning of the 2010 survey program which will include approximately 5,000 ha's of 2009 and pre-2009 wildfire areas.

11) Initiated a project for overview planning and updating the FFT footprint/netdown for the 2010 & 2011 FFT program, including 2009 wildfires and MPB impacted stands. The project will build on previous FFT footprints completed to provide an up to date Footprint to support 2010/11 FFT planning and implementation.

12) A new project has been started which is a continuation of project # 3087025 from fiscal 2008-09 to conduct Backlog Impeded and NSR Stands Data Review of previously harvested openings in the Lillooet TSA. The project will complete the remaining outstanding openings in the TSA. The objective of the project is to review the existing file data of pre-1987 harvested blocks, declare them Free Growing or prescribe a future treatment that will bring them to Free Growing. Included is a Technical File Review, a Professional Forester review and a Professional Forester letter/acknowledgement. Free Growing blocks contribute to the provincial timber supply.

13) A project has been recently approved to conduct 2 accredited training courses in conjunction with the Lillooet Tribal Council. The courses are:
1) Aboriginal Environmental Technician Certificate Program
2) Wildlife Danger Tree Assessor Certification – Wild Fire Safety Module
This is a credit-based outreach program of the Vancouver Island University offered in Lillooet to address the need for certified and skilled environmental field technicians to assist in research and restoration work. Training is expected to be completed by the end of March and will better enable participation in the FFT program and other future employment opportunities.

14) A new project has commenced which is a helicopter field review of 2,725 hectares in the Lillooet TSA and 285 hectares in the Merritt TSA. These areas have been recommended and scheduled in RESULTS for a Free Growing helicopter reccy to confirm Free Growing status from the Backlog Impeded and NSR Stands Data Review File Review of previously harvested openings completed in fiscal 2008- 09 under FFT project # 3087025 and 3086004.

15) A project is underway which will conduct a 10% audit (field check) of units reviewed last fiscal year as “Openings/SUs that are 'likely FG – non-recent survey'” as identified from the Backlog Impeded and NSR Stands Data Review File Review of previously harvested openings. The 10% audit (field check) will review Free Growing Status. This project includes openings from both the Lillooet and Merritt TSA's.