British Columbia releases Forest Maps

British Columbia has developed a series of detailed province-wide maps with information on tree species, forest age, natural and human disturbance, protected areas, ownership and more.

British Columbia has developed a series of detailed province-wide maps with information on tree species, forest age, natural and human disturbance, protected areas, ownership and more.

This new publication, British Columbia's Forests: A Geographical Snapshot (at www.growingtogether.ca/pubs/bcfgs/), includes key findings:

--B.C. has vast forests, covering an area of almost 60 million hectares (149 million acres).
An estimated 40% of forests are considered old growth. The proportion is higher in coastal rainforests, which are about 55% old growth.
--Only about 2% of land has been converted from its natural state to farmland, settlement or other forms of development.
--Insect infestations and wildfires typically affect more than three times the area that logging does.
--About 40% of the province has a road density of less than one-tenth of a kilometre of road for every square kilometre of land (0.16 miles of road per square mile).
--B.C. has legally protected more than 12% of its land base. About half of protected lands are forested, and the remainder includes alpine areas, sparsely wooded lands and grasslands.

Another new publication, British Columbia's Forests and their Management (at www.growingtogether.ca/pubs/bcfm/), offers factual information about the importance of B.C.s forests, the provinces approach to conservation and sustainable development, and new policies and legislation, including changing forest practices requirements.