What is the Provincial Non-Spatial Old Growth Order?
The order legally establishes new landscape units as well as old growth forest retention objectives for those units identified in the order. The intent of the order is to help confirm the extent of timber harvesting opportunities, while also taking clear action to conserve biodiversity values and species associated with old growth forests. This order was made by the Minister of Sustainable Resource Management (now Integrated Land Management Bureau) under Section 4 of the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act. The word “non-spatial” is used to differentiate this order – which defines target amounts but not specific areas to be retained – from those orders that “spatially” describe actual old growth management areas. This order does not apply where objectives for old growth or landscape units have already been formally established. The order reflects existing policy on old growth conservation as well as strategies in the Landscape Unit Planning Guide of March 1999.
