With timber becoming more constrained and harder to access in British Columbia, tenure holders are increasingly operating in areas that have been avoided in the past — e.g. within visual quality objectives (VQOs) and closer to communities. Wildfire risk reduction and salvage efforts frequently target these same locations. This combination places visual resource management (VRM) under increased attention and can cause tension, for professionals and the public, as there are different views on what values are most important and should be prioritized.

As forest landscape plans (FLPs) continue to develop, the approaches to VRM within them are highly variable. Some FLPs will use a status-quo management approach towards VRM and others may propose to significant deviations. The different approaches being proposed for VRM in FLPs are a byproduct of the issues noted above (along with legacy VRM issues — e.g. subjectivity of the discipline). FLPs have the potential to significantly shift the management direction of VRM in BC, which makes this an important topic for professionals and the public.

This session will discuss the competition amongst different values in VRM and how FLPs are proposing to manage VRM. Specialists from the Quesnel and Sunshine Coast FLPs will discuss why their respective VRM approach was chosen, how the project is progressing, and what the end result will be. The session will also provide updates on current Forest Professional BC and Government of BC VRM initiatives and outlooks.

Learning Objectives

Participants in this session will learn about:

1. The most prominent challenges forest professionals have dealt with in VRM over the last decade.
2. Ways in which FLPs will seek to manage VRM Using the Quesnel FLP, the Sunshine Coast FLP, and other/upcoming FPLs as case studies.
3. Current VRM initiatives and updates, including Forest Professionals British Columbia draft standards, VRM definition, and practice guidance; and the Government of British Columbia’s recommendations.

Target Audience

This session will appeal to three main groups of forest professionals:

1. Forest professionals directly working in the VRM sphere (signing VIAs, performing visual landscape design, etc.)
2. Forest professionals that need to incorporate/be aware of VRM work in a broader context (planning foresters, wildfire specialists, tenure managers, etc.).
3. Forest professionals who are interested in FLPs and general forest policy direction and change in BC.

Moderator

• Garnet Mierau, RPF, Director of Practice, Forest Professionals British Columbia