B.C.’s chief forester has increased the annual allowable cut (ACC) in the tree farm licence (TFL) area just to the north of Quesnel.
The TFL is owned by Dunkley Lumber, and overlaps territorial boundaries of Lheidli T’enneh Nation, Lhtako Dene Nation, Nazko First Nation and Tsilhqot’in Nation.
First Nations were consulted on the draft management plan before the AAC was raised.
Dunkley is now allowed to cut 240,000 cubic metres, an increase of 9.6 per cent from the previous AAC, which was set in 2010.
The province’s acting deputy chief forester is Albert Nussbaum.
“The deputy chief forester has encouraged the licensee to work with First Nations to update its biodiversity plan and to incorporate riparian and road-management planning, both operationally and at the district and regional levels, through land-use and management planning,” a provincial news release reads.
The TFL covers over 87,000 hectares, and was heavily impacted by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
The chief forester must revisit the AAC in each of the province’s TFL and timber supply areas at least once every decade.
READ MORE: Past data shows spruce beetle outbreaks are a natural occurrence
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cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
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