West Arm Demonstration Forest WADF

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West Arm Demonstration Forest (WADF)
Kootenay Lake Forest District
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Map containing Kootenay Lake Forest District
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Map outlining WADF area
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INTRODUCTION

• 13,500 ha near Nelson, along the North Shore of
  the West Arm of Kootenay Lake
• founded in 1992 by Kootenay Lake Forest District
• public concerns over conventional forestry
  practises in their watersheds and viewscapes
• to learn about and demonstrate new concepts in
  innovative forest management
• to provide a local home for Nelson Forest Region
  research projects
• to explore effective means of public
  participation in forest management

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WADF looking West towards Kokanee Creek
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WADF looking East towards Balfour
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KEY ISSUES

• Water resource protection
• Visual Landscape management
• Recreation management
• Maintaining SBFEP goals
• Public Participation
• Total Resource Design Planning
• Innovative Forest Practices
• Research / Extension
• Certification Test Pilot

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RESOURCE VALUES

• 301 water licences
• High Tourism and Recreation Values- Kokanee
  Park, West Arm Park, - Old Growth Trail-
  Recreation sites
• Two major Spawning Channels
• Significant Timber values
• Viewscapes for the communities of
  Harrop/Procter/Balfour/Nelson
• Various Wildcrafting
• Large variety of Wildlife

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High Use Recreation Area
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Kokanee Creek Park
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Old Growth Trail
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Old Growth Management
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WADF OBJECTIVES

• CONSIDER WATER TO BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY
  RESOURCE
• MAINTAIN A HIGH STANDARD OF VISUAL INTEGITY
• PROVIDE SBFEP TIMBER HARVEST (6000 m³/year)
• MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE BIODIVERSITY ACROSS LANDSCAPE
• APPLY FINDINGS OF RESEARCH AND OPERATIONAL
  ACTIVITIES

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Two Spawning Channels
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Over 300 Consumptive Use Watersheds
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ORGANIZATION

• DISTRICT MANAGER
• STEERING COMMITTEEDistrict Operation Managers,
  Regional FS staff, MELP, Regional District
  RepWORKING COMMITTEEAgency Staff, Public Reps,
  Co-ordinator
• WATERSHED COMMITTEES

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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

• Water licensees recognized as stakeholders with
  the opportunity to participate in the operational
  planning and monitoring
• Public Representatives on Steering and Working
  Committee
• Watershed Committees oversee hydrologic
  assessments for their specific watersheds
• Open Houses
• Public Meetings

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Working Committee
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Field Tours with Public
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Open House Presentations
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WADF PLANNING

• Forest Practices Code
• Strategic Plan
• Total Resource Design
• Forest Development Plan for SBFEP
• Other Plans

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STRATEGIC PLAN

• Principle document that guides WADF
• Identifies Who is involved and what their roles
  are
• Identifies the Goals and Objectives for WADF
• Provides strategic guidance for managing of each
  of the forest values

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Landscape Design
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TOTAL RESOURCE DESIGN

• Latest forest management planning tools
  incorporates the principles of Land Ecology and
  Landscape Design
• Focus on Ecosystem functioning and natural
  disturbance patterns

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Eco-system Resource Design Concepts
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INNOVATIVE FOREST MANAGEMENT

• maintain the forest stands in WADF in a condition
  that will continue to provided for integrated
  functions
• Exploring and demonstrating a broad range of
  silviculture systems.

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Single Tree Selection to maintain visuals and
bio-diversity
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Underplanting Larch in a Douglas-fir and Yellow
pine Shelterwood System
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RESEARCH

• Climate
• Hydrology
• Sedimentation
• Silviculture
• Wildlife
• Growth and Yield
• Ecology
• Adaptive Management

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Hydrological Research
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WATER RESOURCE OBJECTIVES

• Consider water to be the highest priority
• Maintain quality, quantity and timing of flow
• Ensure peak flows are not increased
• Preserve the functioning of riparian areas
• Maintain present soil moisture regimes
• Demonstrate management and assessment alternatives

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Channel Morphology Assessments
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Landslide Rehabilitation Bio-engineering
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Sedimentation Research on Graded Roads
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WILDLIFE

• Bat
• Breeding Birds
• Small Mammals
• Furbeares
• Ground Beetles

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Bat Research
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EXTENSION

• Sharing what we learn
• public
• academics
• forest service staff
• forest community
• SISCO

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School Tours
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Forest Work Demonstrations
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University of Washington Tour
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SISCO TOUR(Southern Interior Silviculture
Committee)
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CERTIFICATION TEST PILOTS

• Province wide environmental management system
  (EMS)
• Pursing ISO certification in Vancouver Region
• Three CSA initiatives
• -Ft. St. John
• -Kamloops TSA
• -Morice
• One FSC Pilot
• -Kootenay Lake WADF

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Certification Test Pilot

• Assist government in supporting certification
  efforts
• explore practicality of FSC approach
• identify gaps
• ascertain costs ( and opportunity)
• advise Ministry executive

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CONCLUSION

• Benefits of changing our management to fit the
  forest values
• Public Participation/Extension needs lots of
  attention gt benefits
• WADF Co-ordinator is essential in ensuring WADF
  continues
• Local research is very helpful
• Certification test educational