Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Ministerial Order
Land Use Objectives Regulation
Version 8.10
Updated October 5, 2015
Land Use Objectives for Biodiversity
Morice Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) Area
Part 1 - Interpretation
Relationship with the Forest and Range Practices Act Objectives
Pursuant to section 93.4 of the Land Act, the following objectives are established as land
use objectives for the purposes of the Forest and Range Practices Act, and apply to the
Morice Land and Resource Management (LRMP) area shown on Map 1. Any footnote or
map referenced in an objective is an integral part of that objective.
If there is a discrepancy in the areas shown on the maps and the spatial information on
the legal planning layer of the BC Geographic Warehouse, the spatial information will
take precedence.
This order takes effect on the date that notice of the Order is published in the Gazette.
Part 2 – Objectives
Objective 1: Maintain seral stages across the Morice LRMP area for the applicable
Resource Management Zone as specified in Table 1 and as shown on Maps 2, 3, and 4.
Table 1. Seral Stage Distribution Requirements for the Morice LRMP
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT ZONES
BEC VARIANT
High Biodiversity Emphasis Areas
(HBEA)
Area Specific Management
(ASM)1
General Forested Area (GFA)
1
Early*
Seral
Maximum
(%)
Mature*
+ Old*
Seral
Minimum
(%)
Old*
Seral
Minimum
(%)
1.
Friday/Nakinilerak/
Hautête Lakes HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
16
28
7
50
37
71
48
86
21
33
70
42
84
16
26
2.
Morrison Lake HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
16
28
7
50
37
71
48
86
21
33
70
42
84
16
26
3.
Thautil/Gosnell HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
16
28
7
50
37
71
48
86
21
33
70
42
84
16
26
4.
Nanika River HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
16
28
7
50
37
71
70
86
70
70
70
42
84
16
26
5.
Upper Morice River HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
16
28
7
50
37
71
70
86
70
70
70
42
84
16
26
6.
Lower Morice River HBEA
CWHws2 and MHmm2
16
71
70
The Crown forested areas within Area Specific Management Areas will contribute to the seral condition
targets of the General Forested Area.
*
**
***
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
28
7
50
37
50
86
50
50
42
84
16
26
7.
Nadina/Owen ASM
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
70
70
83
70
70
62
34
82
8
17
8.
Grease Trail Buffer ASM
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
70
70
83
70
70
62
34
82
8
17
9.
Le Talh Giz/Old Fort Mtn ASM
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
64
50
83
50
50
62
34
82
8
17
10. Lower Nadina River ASM
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
64
50
83
50
50
62
34
82
8
17
11. Upper Nadina River ASM
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
64
50
83
50
50
62
34
82
8
17
12. GFA and ASM areas not listed
elsewhere in this table.
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSFmc and ESSFmv3
ESSFmk
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3
27
38
9
64
48
64
37
83
10
20
62
34
82
8
17
Early is defined as <40 years; Mature is 100-140 years; Old is >140 years.
CWHws2 and MHmm2 are combined due to their small incidence in the plan area and similarity
in Range of Natural Variation.
ESSFmv3 is combined with ESSFmc, and SBSwk3 is combined with SBSmc2 due to their small
incidence in the plan area.
Objective 2: Manage for old growth forests by retaining all timber within Old Growth
Management Areas (OGMAs), as identified on Map 5.
Objective 3: Maintain structurally complex mature and old forest by retaining wildlife
tree retention (WTR) areas distributed across the Morice LRMP area on Map 1 as per
Table 2 and Table 3.
Table 2. Wildlife Tree Retention
Requirements for each Cutblock >5 ha and ≤250 ha
BEC Variant
CWHws2 and MHmm2
ESSF combined
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and SBSwk3 combined
Minimum % WTR Required
N/A
3.3
8.3
9.1
Table 3. Wildlife Tree Retention
Requirements for each Cutblock >250 ha
Resource
Management Zone
GFA and ASM
HBEA
BEC Variant
Average % WTR
Minimum % WTR
ESSF combined
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and
SBSwk3
combined
ESSF combined
SBSdk
SBSmc2 and
SBSwk3
combined
15
15
15
10
10
10
25
25
25
20
20
20
Objective 4: For the purposes of Objective 3, ensure that all wildlife tree retention areas
include one or more of the following high value wildlife tree attributes:
 Diversity of wildlife tree retention strategies (e.g., a range of patch sizes
combined with dispersed trees);
 Diversity of habitat types;
 Internal decay (heart rot or natural/excavated cavities present);
 Crevices present (loose bark or cracks suitable for bats);
 Large brooms present;
 Active or recent wildlife use;
 Tree structure suitable for wildlife use (e.g., large nest, hunting perch, bear den);
 Large trees for the site (height and diameter) and veterans;
 Representative of the size, age and species of the pre-harvest stand;
Objective 5: Retain 100% of the forested area within “No Timber Harvesting Areas”2
identified on Map 6:
a. Grease Trail 100m buffer
b. Morrison Lake 30m buffer
c. Babine Lake East Arm 30m buffer
d. Bulkley River floodplain
e. Swan Lake/China Nose
f. Upper and Lower Morice River floodplains
g. Upper and Lower Nadina River floodplains
h. Nanika River floodplain
i. Starr Creek
j. Herd Dome
k. Morice Range/Nanika Lake
l. Tahtsa-Troitsa
2
The Crown forested areas within No Timber Harvesting Areas, Parks and Conservancies will contribute
to the seral condition targets of the General Forested Area.
Part 3 – Implementation
Effective Date
This order and the land use objectives in this order, take effect on the date that notice of
this order is published in the Gazette.
The applicable period under Section 8(2) of the Forest and Range Practices Act is one
year, starting on the date this order comes into effect.
Eamon O’Donoghue
Regional Executive Director
Skeena Region
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Date