An Assessment of the BC Forestry Riparian Program to Identify Opportunities for Monitoring Fish Habitats.
Denisse Nunez Santillan, MLWS 2022
The purpose of this white paper was to review the current monitoring of forestry activities in British Columbia riparian zones and its intent in protecting fish and fish habitats. Forests are one of the most important resources in supporting the BC's lumber industry. However, forestry activities have negatively impacted several major rivers and many small streams that are spawning and maturating habitats for fish species. Salmon resources are valuable in the BC fishing industry and indigenous peoples' livelihoods. Although sustainable forest management has been adopted including the need to protect vulnerable fish populations, the decline in salmon populations is alarming, and the forest monitoring protocol is not adequately successful for evaluating the conditions of fish habitats. This project identifies the strengths and opportunities for more effectively monitoring fish habitat conditions in logged riparian management zones.
A literature review of the BC Forest and Range Evaluation Program was conducted along with the riparian and aquatic habitat management protocols in Washington State (WA). In addition, this study assessed and compared a case study in each jurisdiction to identify potential improvements in BC's current management strategies. A contrasting analysis was conducted between the Memekay River (BC) under the Forest and Range Monitoring protocol and the Olympic Experimental State Forest Monitoring Protocol in WA. The differences between the scale and regulatory agencies of each jurisdiction monitoring program were identified and discussed. The present study identified shortcomings in addressing riparian and fish resource monitoring in BC.