Recent amendments to the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) require Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) holders to make a Forest Operations Map (FOM) available for public review and comment as part of the cutting and road permit issuance process. The FOM was created in response to a “what we heard survey” conducted by the provincial government, during which the public and stakeholders clearly expressed a desire for more transparency of forestry operations, and more opportunities to provide input.

A key part of the FOM process is the 30-day public review and commenting period which provides the public and other interested third parties with an opportunity to comment on proposed cutblocks and roads. It is through this engagement that the FOM is intended to improve transparency, build public trust, and subsequently increase social license for forest operations.

This session will provide an overview of the legal requirements and key steps of the FOM process, as well as a short demonstration of the Government of BC’s FOM online portal, that was developed to facilitate FOM administration.

Todd Monge from BC Timber Sale’s Chinook Business Area will provide a user perspective on the FOM, the strategic thinking that has informed FOM implementation, and how the process has impacted stakeholder relations. Nearly a year into the use of FOM as a tool, the session will give an analysis of whether public engagement through the FOM has been successful, if the FOM has strengthened social license and will explore the iterative process of improving stakeholder outreach using FOM as a foundational tool.

Learning Outcomes

Participants in this session will learn about:

1. Recently deposited regulations that bring into force provisions of the Forest and Range Practices Amendment Act, 2019 (Bill 21).
2. Recently deposited regulations that bring into force provisions of the Forest Statutes Amendment Act, 2021 (Bill 23).
3. Meaningful engagement with the public and interested third parties on forest operations.
4. How to incorporate public engagement in business processes.

Moderator: Mauro Calabrese, RPF, RPBio, Planning Superintendent, West Fraser Mills Ltd.