Timber supply analysis: An industrial model from British Columbia

Abstract

Modelling processes are being introduced to improve the integration of various resource management objectives. As a mechanism to protect non-timber values, the BC Ministry of Forests has implemented forest cover constraints which place area-based maximum and minimum limits on harvest disturbance and old growth retention, respectively, within forest management zones. Timberline Forest Inventory Consultants has developed a proprietary model that explicitly deals with resource demands such as visual quality objectives, habitat protection measures, and water quality protection guidelines. The model uses a pseudo-geographic inventory to simulate the intent of forest cover constraints on harvesting. A variable degree of spatial resolution is available depending on inventory formulation and management zone definition. Key words: British Columbia, integrated resource management, modelling, forest cover constraints, spatial resolution