File: 19567-01
Vanderhoof Forest District
Small Scale Salvage
Guidelines
I.
Introduction
In addition to the Small Scale Salvage Program Professional Application Provincial Guidelines,
this document has been prepared to provide further guidance and information related to the
delivery of the Small Scale Salvage Program (SSSP) in the Vanderhoof Forest District (DVA).
The SSSP in the Vanderhoof Forest District is being continued under the following criteria and
specifications for the period of April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.
The Ministry of Forests and Range (MOFR) will be assessing applications based on the
Vanderhoof Forest District Small Scale Salvage Strategic Plan and the ministry objectives for
small scale salvage outlined on page 3 and 4 of the Provincial Small Scale Salvage Three Year
Strategic Plan 07/08 – 10/11. Documents, spreadsheets and maps related to SSS will be posted
to the SSSP portion of the DVA website: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dva/
You must discuss your proposal with Nathan Voth, Field Operations Supervisor - Tenures
or his designate before applying or laying it out. The district will continue to accept
applications that have been previously discussed and meet the standards and conditions as
outlined in this document. Applications that have not been previously discussed will not be
accepted.
Complete applications are to be submitted to Nathan Voth, Field Operations Supervisor Tenures. Applications will be delegated to a Tenures Technician based on the Licence to Cut
Zone Map dated August 1, 2006 and processed on a first come first serve basis.
Changes from last year are highlighted in yellow. Hyperlinks are underlined and in blue font.
II.
General Information
1. All applications over 50 m3 must be “Professional”. This means that a Registered
Professional Forester (RPF) or Registered Forest Technologist (RFT) must sign and seal the
Application for Forestry Licence to Cut.
2. Applications up to 50 m3 known as Cash Sales will be processed as a conventional
application and the licensee will be required to pay the stumpage at the time the licence is
signed.
3. In order to provide opportunity to all active participants of the SSS program, a maximum of
three (3) FLTC’s will be issued to the same licensee between April 1, 2009 and March
31, 2010.
Prepared by Nathan Voth, RFT
Last update on May 20, 2009
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4. Tenures issued under the SSS program will be in the form of Forestry Licences to Cut
(FLTC). Section 47.6 of the Forest Act specifies a maximum volume of 2,000 m3 for the use
of this tenure for salvage purposes. This volume limit includes access volume. The volume
limit will be based on total volume scaled. As such, accurate assessment and tracking of
volumes is critical to ensure the 2,000 m3 limit is not exceeded. If the 2,000 m3 limit is
exceeded, it will result in a penalty as per Section 2 of the Cut Control Regulation.
5. The tenure Exhibit ‘A’ map will be developed from the digital data for the GPS traversed
cutting boundaries.
6. The district manager or designate may deny applications based on the degree of risk related
to poor performance of the applicant with respect to on the ground practices or failure to
meet standards or obligations specified in the licence document.
Examples of poor performance include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Exceeding the maximum volume specified in the licence.
b) Failure to pay stumpage, residue & waste billing or penalty billing.
c) Harvesting trees reserved from cutting in the Schedule B of the FLTC document.
d) Not completing or failure to harvest an issued FLTC.
e) Excessive soil disturbance as a result of harvesting activities.
f) Failure to dispose of logging debris.
g) Failure to comply with WorkSafe BC acts and regulations.
7. Any SSS proposal that falls within another forest licensee’s operating area must be referred
to the appropriate licensee(s) (see attached map). The applicant must get the licensee/BCTS
to complete the lower portion of the Major Licensee/BCTS Referral Form. Maps to
determine licensee operating area are available from the DVA SSS website and the
Vanderhoof Forest District office for viewing. Prior to viewing these maps an appointment
must be arranged with the Tenures Technician or alternate.
8. SSS proposals within an Ungulate Winter Range (UWR), Wildlife Habitat Management Area
(WHMA) Agriculture Development Area (ADA) or Settlement Reserve Area (SRA) as
indicated on the Vanderhoof Crown Land Plan Map are discouraged at this time to minimize
the impact on these values. If harvesting is proposed within a UWR, WHMA, ADA or SRA,
district operating procedures will apply including referring to the appropriate agency (i.e.
Ministry of Environment for a UWR or WHMA and Integrated Land Management Bureau
for an ADA or SRA). Warning: If you lay out areas within an ADA or SRA, you take
the risk of the Integrated Land Management Bureau being in the process of selling or
issuing tenure over the same area. Maps to determine if a proposed SSS site is within a
UWR, WHMA, ADA or SRA are available from the DVA SSS website and the Vanderhoof
Forest District office for viewing. Prior to viewing these maps an appointment must be
arranged with the Tenures Technician or alternate.
9. If all of the application requirements have been met, the application will normally be
processed within 21 calendar days of receiving the complete application. However, if an
application must be referred to other stakeholders or conflicts have not been resolved;
processing time will be longer than 21 calendar days.
10. At the time of signing the FLTC document, the SSS applicant must provide a security deposit
totalling 10% of the estimated stumpage value or $500, whichever is greater.
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Last update on May 20, 2009
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11. Extensions will only be granted to the term of these licences in situations that are
beyond the control of the licensee such as Forest Closures due to extreme fire hazard. As
such, it is important to ensure the requested term is sufficient to complete all operations on
the site.
III. Expectations and Guidelines
1. The volume of incidental green timber required for access to the salvage timber or to
remove a hazard posed to the operations that must be harvested in association with a small
scale salvage operation should be minimized and should not exceed ten (10) percent of the
total volume of timber harvested without a strong rationale approved by the district
manager.
2. Planning and layout of proposed SSS applications with patches less than one hectare in size
must be consistent with Standard Operating Procedures for Small Patch Harvesting in the
Vanderhoof Forest District.
3. When choosing skid trail and access trail locations use natural or other existing openings
and access to the greatest extent possible.
4. All proposed access trails and landings must be flagged in the field and indicated on the site
plan prior to submitting the application.
5. All clearcut areas must be flagged with orange cutting boundary ribbon and marked with
blue boundary paint prior to harvest commencement.
6. Small clearcuts with a total volume of less than 2,000 m3 are not to be proposed within
areas of continuous and equally intensive beetle infested, fire killed, diseased or wind
thrown trees that should be addressed via a larger clearcut (i.e. removing a small clearcut
from a potential large clearcut). These areas should be addressed by a major licensee,
Salvage Non-replaceable Forest Licensee or BCTS. The exception is harvesting proposals
adjacent to dwellings, utility lines, pipelines, communications infrastructure, public roads,
railways, new or existing fence lines and evacuation routes for the purpose of reducing the
fire hazard, safety concerns or damage from windthrow. The standard “clearing” width is 30
metres other than adjacent to dwellings where it is 100 metres unless a natural boundary is
followed to reduce windthrow and the isolation of timber.
7. An archaeological impact assessment (AIA) will be required for small scale salvage areas
that are within “high” as indicated on the Archaeological Potential Model. In instances
where a potential cultural heritage resource has been identified, a full archaeological
assessment must be conducted prior to the commencement or continuation of harvesting
activities and the harvesting must be consistent with the recommendations of the assessment.
When culturally modified trees (CMT’s) are identified, CMT surveys are to be completed
and submitted with the application as per the Vanderhoof Forest District CMT Policy.
8. The applicant will have all sites, blocks and associated skid trails and landings mapped
using differentially corrected global positioning technology. A digital copy must be
submitted with the application.
9. Two copies of a 1:10,000 map and two copies of a 1:50,000 location map must be included
with the application. The minimum standards are outlined in the Mapping Standards.
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Last update on May 20, 2009
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IV. Pricing
A stumpage rate can be determined from either a table or on the basis of a full appraisal.
For table rates, the Stumpage Rate Request Form must be completed, signed and sealed by an
RPF or RFT and submitted with the application.
The sawlog stumpage rates for harvesting areas greater than 5 hectares in size will be derived
from Table 6-1 of the Interior Appraisal Manual and a silviculture levy of $5.30 per cubic metre
will be applied. Be sure to specify in the comments section of the stumpage rate request form
that the silviculture levy also applies to grade 4. The sawlog stumpage rates for harvesting
areas 5 hectares or less in size will be derived from Table 6-2 and a silviculture levy will not be
applied. This necessitates a separate application for areas greater than 5 hectares in size and
areas 5 hectares or less in size.
For appraised rates, appraisal data must be submitted through the E-Commerce Appraisal
Application system (ECAS) following the ECAS User Request Process.
V.
General Conditions
The FLTC document and Schedule A outline the conditions that will appear in the tenure
documents.
The following conditions apply to all FLTCs in the Vanderhoof Forest District but will not
appear in the tenure documents:
1. The maximum skid trail width allowed will be 5.0 metres.
2. Authorization must be obtained from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
(TRAN) prior to conducting operations that will affect a public road. To get a junction
permit from TRAN when joining a public road, contact Karen Andrews at (250) 565-6090.
The documents titled Highway Logging Access Checklist and Logging Access Information
include more details.
3. Authorization must be obtained from BC Hydro or BCTC prior to logging near a powerline.
Contact Jeff Connors, BC Hydro, at (250) 561-4957 or Michael Verschoor, BCTC, at (250)
963-5739. The document titled ARE YOU LOGGING OR LAND CLEARING NEAR A
POWERLINE? includes more details.
4. Authorization must be obtained from Telus prior to logging near a telephone line. Contact
David DeLeenheer at (250) 964-8552.
5. Authorization must be obtained from Pacific Northern Gas (PNG) prior to crossing PNG
rights-of-ways. Contact Tom Leach at (250) 638-5325.
6. Prior to the commencement of harvesting, the timber mark and block number must be posted
at the entrance of each block.
7. The Timber Marking and Transportation Standard Operating Procedure must be followed.
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Last update on May 20, 2009
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8. Harvesting within the riparian areas must be consistent with Division 3 of the Forest
Planning and Practices Regulation.
9. New landing construction should be avoided whenever possible. If they are necessary they
must not exceed 0.3 hectares in size and be at least forty (40) metres from a stream, wetland
or lake and outside its respective Riparian Management Zone.
10. Slash piled for disposal must be at least ten (10) metres from standing timber and at least
fifty (50) metres from utility lines or any improvement.
11. The licensee is responsible for the disposal of logging debris. The licensee must not
complete the disposal of logging debris until after the Ministry of Forests has completed a
waste survey.
12. Incomplete harvesting or log decks remaining on site at the expiry of the licence become
property of the Crown and may be subject to waste billing and disposal.
13. Open burning of debris must not be initiated unless the licensee obtains a burning registration
number, to do so is safe and is likely to continue to be safe. Refer to the Vanderhoof Forest
District Burn Plan and Burn Plan for Smoke Management Map to determine the required
venting conditions on the day of ignition. Call 1-888-797-1717 for a burning registration
number. To obtain the ventilation index forecast, call the Ministry of Environment
answering machine at 1-888-281-2992 or go to:
http://www.weatheroffice.pyr.ec.gc.ca/wxhealth/smoke/forecast_e.html?Smoke=YXS
14. It is the licensee’s obligation to determine the weather station that is representative of their
operational area, check the fire danger rating and comply with the restrictions on high risk
activities.
15. The licensee must notify the trapper prior to harvesting.
VI. Professional Application
The Professional Application was implemented to facilitate a consistent submission package and
to require an RPF or RFT to certify that the information in the application is accurate and that it
meets the guidelines, conditions and expectations outlined in this document.
The professional must use the full legal name of the applicant when completing documents for
small scale salvage clients. This can be their first, middle and last name, a registered company or
a registered society.
The professional is responsible for ensuring all land status conflicts are resolved prior to
submitting an application and provide related documentation with the application.
The professional is responsible for the submission of a complete and accurate application and
post harvesting report. The post harvesting report must verify operations are complete and
indicate if the operations are compliant with the approved standards, guidelines and licence
conditions. The professional is not accountable for the actions carried out by the licensee under
the terms of any Forestry Licence to Cut subsequently issued over the application area.
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Last update on May 20, 2009
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The professional application package must include the following:
a) Application for Forestry Licence to Cut
b) Stumpage Rate Request Form
c) Major Licensee/BCTS Referral Form
d) Two 1:10,000 maps of the area proposed for harvest
e) Two 1:50,000 location maps of the area proposed for harvest
f) All SSS application packages greater than 50 m3 must be submitted through the
Electronic Submission Framework (ESF) as of February 28, 2007. Follow the suggested
process for submitting a completed SSS application.
g) Site plan. Professional must use the Reference Guide for FDP Stocking Standards and
Site Plan template.
h) Documentation of referrals
and must also include the following if applicable:
i) Road use agreement with the road permittee.
j) Permission from the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, BC Hydro, BCTC, Telus
or Pacific Northern Gas
k) CMT surveys
l) Archaeological impact assessment
VII. Post Harvest Report
For professional applications, the Post Harvesting Report that indicates successful completion of
harvest activities and compliance or non-compliance with tenure obligations and legislated
requirements must be submitted to the Tenures Field Operations Supervisor within 60 days of
the expiry of the FLTC or snow free conditions. As of April 1, 2007, licensees are also
responsible for the Opening Definition submission into RESULTS (warning: the “planned area”
in FTA must not be less than the “gross area logged” submitted into RESULTS). Any portion of
the security deposit may not be released until the Post Harvesting Report is received and the
Opening Definition submission into RESULTS is completed. A minimum of $500 from the
security deposit will be held until debris piles have been burned. In addition, be advised that the
use of the post harvesting report does not preclude any actions from being taken by Ministry
Compliance and Enforcement (C&E) staff as a result of their inspections.
VIII. References to Key Legislation and Regulations
There are key legislative and regulatory requirements that applicants and forest professionals
completing applications need to be familiar with in relation to the SSSP. They are as follows:
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Accuracy of information submitted
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/forest/foract/part7.htm#section105-1
Burning and hazard abatement
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/wildfire/wildfirereg/wildfirereg.htm
Correcting stumpage rates where inaccurate information was provided
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/forest/foract/part7.htm#section105-2
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Last update on May 20, 2009
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Cultural heritage
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/H/96187_01.htm
Excessive soil disturbance
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frparegs/forplanprac/fppr.htm#section35
Favourable weather for smoke dispersion
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/E/EnvMgmt/145_93.htm#schedule%201
Forestry licence to cut
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/forest/foract/part3.htm#section47-6
Harvesting within the riparian areas
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frparegs/forplanprac/fppr.htm#part4-div3
Limit on maximum harvestable volume
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/forest/foract/part4.htm#section75-21
Logging Tax
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_library/bulletins/lta_001.pdf
Occupational Health & Safety Regulation
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/Part26.asp
Penalty for excess harvest
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/forest/faregs/cutcontr/ccr.htm#section2
Resource features and wildlife habitat features
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frparegs/forplanprac/fppr.htm#section70
Roads - authority to construct, maintain or deactivate
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frparegs/forplanprac/fppr.htm#part5
Roads – industrial use
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frpa/part3.htm#section22
Wildlife tree retention areas under FRPA - managing and tracking
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hth/timten/FRPA_implementation/Bulletins.htm
Workers Compensation Act
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/W/96492_00.htm
This document is not to be considered as all-inclusive and may be amended from time to time as
required by the District Manager or designate. If you would like to be notified of changes,
please provide your name, mailing address, phone number and email address to Nathan Voth or
Adam Caputa at (250) 567-6363.
Please see the Vanderhoof Forest District website http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dva/ for the most upto-date information on the Small Scale Salvage Program.
If you have any questions regarding this guidance document or the Small Scale Salvage
Program, please contact Nathan Voth or Adam Caputa at (250) 567-6363.
Prepared by Nathan Voth, RFT
Last update on May 20, 2009
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