INTRODUCTION
Rock climbing, mountain biking, white water rafting, hiking, even roasting marshmallows on the beach are all recreational activities that can happen within a forest. Forest recreation is defined as the revitalization or refreshment of the body and mind through the pursuit of leisure time in a forest setting. It may surprise you to discover that 60% of all recreational use on Crown land in British Columbia actually occurs outside of national, provincial or regional parks and in our provincial working forests.
Recreation is an important forest resource. It is estimated that BC residents make about 47 million recreation visits to provincial forests every year and a further 8 million visitors are foreign. These people spend about $ 2.5 billion a year to participate in recreational activities. The Ministry of Forests (MoF) has the dual role of protecting and managing these recreation resources.
About 25% of the provincial forest land-base is working forest. The Forest Act requires that companies that operate under a Tree Farm License (TFL) must identify recreational resources (inventories) and provide recreational opportunities within these lands. This means that recreation is a key consideration in the planning process for forest companies working on Crown land. Many companies also choose to provide recreational opportunities beyond regulated levels, such as providing campsites on their private lands.
In this article we will explore the recreation resource itself, how recreation resources are inventoried, how they are protected and how they are managed within the working forest.
THE RECREATION RESOURCE
British Columbia is a land of physiographic and biological diversity. There is a great range of climate, topography, elevation, latitude and soil type producing an equally diverse range of forest types. This variable landscape supports a wide array of recreation activities. The recreation resource is based on landscape features and scenery. Intricate connections exist between this resource, the people using it and the people responsible for its planning, protection and development.
The forest resource is essential for fish and wildlife habitat, spiritual and cultural values, timber, water supply, timber, and recreation. Some of the uses can conflict with each other making land management a difficult challenge. Even within the scope of recreation itself there are conflicts between different user groups. Examples of user groups that are, at times, in conflict include motorized sport enthusiasts, wilderness backpackers, RV campers and extreme physical sports participants like mountain bikers and rock climbers.
The forest resource that supports all of these peoples' activities includes recreation features such as caves or beaches, scenic views and wilderness settings. As well, there are cultural or heritage landmarks such as culturally modified trees or abandoned pioneer homesteads and there are developed recreation facilities such as campsites, boat launches or picnic areas.
A specific feature in the forest may have different value for different groups of recreationists. The commonality between all recreation users is that they all want to have a quality experience. However, the criteria that would determine "a high quality recreation experience" varies between user groups. For example, the goals for a snowmobile club outing are quite different than those of a solitary kayaker. Meeting these diverse needs while protecting the resource is the focus of recreation management.
Managing the recreation resource on Crown land involves many agencies and groups. To develop recreation opportunities, forest companies work with the MoF, the Ministry of Environment, Land and Parks (MELP) , Forest Renewal BC (FRBC), Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as non-governmental organizations such as the Outdoor Recreation Council, BC Wildlife Federation, First Nations communities and local recreation groups. All of these groups participate in land use and resource management planning activities.
On TFL lands, a forest company may work with local recreation groups as well as the MoF and FRBC to develop recreation opportunities. In other tenures such as Forest Licenses or Timber Licenses, a number of forest companies may work together to develop a recreation opportunity.
Given the diversity of the forest recreation resource, the pressures of providing for multiple uses, the broad range of recreation users and the increasing numbers of those users, the challenge of protecting and managing this resource is significant. To support the intense planning that is essential for any type of resource management, data collection and assessment are important processes.
INVENTORY
In order to protect and manage forest recreation resources planners need first to collect data to identify the recreational opportunities within the area. Forest companies gather information on many parts of the forest, trees, streams, fish and wildlife populations, terrain stability and soils, as well as on recreation features and facilities. Each collection of information is referred to as an inventory.
The information gathered in the Recreation Resources Inventory is entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) so maps can be created. Inventory information assists land use planners and resource managers in looking at the big picture, in developing overall objectives and in determining specific management prescriptions. Resource inventories are important tools that assist forest companies in their operational planning and land use decision-making. TFL licensees must carry out these inventories at their own cost or through FRBC funding and carry them out to MoF standards. There are four component inventories within the Recreation Resources inventory. They are: Recreation Opportunity Inventory, Visual Resources Inventory, Recreation Features Inventory and Recreation Facilities Inventory.
Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Inventory (ROS)
This is an inventory of current recreation opportunities. The goal of ROS is to promote a diversity of recreational opportunities throughout a region. Recreation encompasses a range of activities, within a range of settings, which produce a range of experiences. The ROS inventory classifies the forest region into 6 opportunity classes, ranging from "roaded rural" to "primitive". Each class has distinct objectives for characteristics, activities and management techniques. For example in the primitive class, "the area is characterized by an unmodified natural environment of large size. Interaction between users is minimal. The area is managed to be practically free of human induced restrictions and controls. Motorized use is not permitted." ROS distinguishes land areas based on how far away they are from roads and civilization.
The ROS Inventory builds a broad picture of existing recreation conditions based on presence of the various ROS classes. This can be a useful tool in a very general sense; however, some experts feel the expense of a full formal inventory may not be cost-effective.
Visual Resources Inventory
This inventory also includes a more detailed inventory of Visual Landscape. This provides information on the location of important viewing opportunities as well as information on viewer expectations. Visual sensitivity ratings are assigned ranging from "non-visually sensitive" areas to "highly sensitive".
For an identified scenic area, visual quality objectives (VQO's) are assigned ranging from preservation to maximum modification. VQO's dictate what proportion of the scenic landscape may be altered by harvesting activities. Visual objectives are an important part of managing the recreation resource because of the fact that 85% of our perception of the landscape is based on sight. This means that visual elements must be considered as they are key in the enjoyment of the aesthetic beauty of the environment.
Recreation Features Inventory (RFI)
The purpose of the Recreation Features Inventory is to identify, classify and record biophysical, cultural and historic features for their local recreational value. This could include features such as beaches, waterfalls, river and lake recreation, historic trail routes and caves.
Foresters must note these features on their silviculture prescriptions. They are classified by their significance from low (local or common) to very high ( provincial or nationally significant). The management class is then rated from "0" for a unique value, indicating that this feature would be most appropriately managed exclusively for recreation, to "2" for normal, indicating that regular forest management practices are adequate to maintain recreation values.
Recreation Facilities Inventory
This inventory provides detailed information on the type and condition of existing human-made sites and structures used for recreational purposes. Some examples of facilities are camping sites, viewpoints, cultural and historic facilities and day-use sites. This inventory also includes managed recreation trails and interpretive forest sites.
The first step in practising integrated resource management is collecting information (inventory) on the various resources values. This also includes identifying the needs and interests of society through ongoing discussions with the public. This data will support future decision-making processes for protecting and managing the resource.
PROTECTING THE RESOURCE
Change is a characteristic of all natural environments. The forces of change can be due to natural phenomena or due to human intervention. Both types of change effect the recreation resource. Change initiated by people is usually based on recreation use or other land-use activities such as forestry or road building. The measures taken to protect recreation features from human-induced change include regulations and special treatment within the planning process.
Natural change in vegetation over time is called succession. Succession is a series of changes in the plant community such as ponds filling in over time, scenic views being blocked by tree growth and large old trees falling over to make room for new growth. Natural change agents that initiate succession include wind, fire and insects.
Recreation features are affected by natural change. The changes can enhance or detract from the recreation value. A snow storm knocked over many large old trees in a park famous for viewing these giants which was a detraction, while the natural fire history in another area has produced grasslands that provide wonderful horseback opportunities, an enhancement. Our ability to protect recreational resources from natural change is limited.
When people become change agents, the pace of change can accelerate. People effect the recreation resource by both recreation and non-recreation use. Changes can include:
- Damage to features or facilities: for example from vandalism or from wear and tear due to popular use.
- Changes to opportunity settings: for example from increased access by road building, by visual changes from logging or even by increased levels of recreation use.
There are special areas or features throughout the province that require protection to prevent damage from the actions of people.
Some recreation sites such as very popular hiking trails or campsites use restrictions to prevent damage from to overuse. Regulations, fees, reservations, limited seasonal use, limiting road access and supervision are some methods used to control overuse by recreation users.
Forestry's greatest effect on recreation involves the areas of visual landscapes and the recreation opportunity settings. Studies have confirmed that the public prefers to view unaltered natural landscapes. Resource development activities can significantly alter natural landscapes. This makes the setting of visual quality objectives and visual landscape design techniques a very important component of forest management from the recreation perspective.
The most pronounced effects of resource use activities on recreation opportunity settings are from the construction of access roads. New roads expand some types of recreation opportunities and make many previously remote backcountry areas and wild rivers more accessible to more people. However, increased road access reduces the amount of roadless areas for primitive recreation opportunities. In other words, increased access can increase the amount of recreation use, but it also changes the type and perhaps the quality of the recreation experience.
Resource use activities can also directly affect recreation features. Some recreation features, such as caves, may be particularly sensitive to disturbance. To provide protection, these features are identified in the various planning processes. The areas are then separated out for special consideration by marking them as Sensitive Areas, Resource Management Zones or Landscape Units depending on the size of the area requiring special consideration. These categories can limit non-recreational use, thus providing extra protection to important recreation resources including scenic and recreational values.
A Sensitive Area is small area designated to protect important values during forest and range operations. These areas are established by a higher level planning process or by Ministry of Forests district manager in consultation with a designated MELP official. Any forestry operations planned are on a site-specific basis and require a combination of forest practices. Sensitive areas are mapped by resource agencies, and include regionally significant recreational areas, scenic areas with high visual quality objectives, and forest ecosystem networks. A popular waterfall area or a local swimming hole could be an example of a sensitive area.
Within a regional or sub-regional plan, a Resource Management Zone (RMZ) is a division of the planning area that is distinct from other areas with respect to biophysical characteristics, resource issues or resource management direction. Resource management zones are drawn on a map and the special management required is described. The zones are usually further defined using descriptive objectives and strategies to explain future land use and resource management activities. A skiing area or an area rich in caves could be examples of an RMZ.
For the purpose of the forest practices code, Landscape Units are planning areas delineated on the basis of topographic or geographic features. Typically they cover a watershed or series of watersheds, and range in size from 5000 to 100 000 ha. Objectives are established for a landscape unit to guide forest development and other operational planning. Carmanah Valley, Stikine, Kusmateena and Tashishini are examples of areas planned as landscape units.
These delineations provide forest planners with the opportunity to remove different size pieces of the operational land base and prescribe special management treatments to protect non-timber values. The specific objectives developed for these areas have protection as a priority.
MANAGING THE RESOURCE
Within the working forest, recreation is only one component of the integrated resource management plan. The concept of integrated resource management is to provide a balance between the management and use of all forest resources. Stewardship of the land is based on a consideration of a full range of timber and non-timber values. All working forests on Crown land in British Columbia operate on this basis. Wildlife, fish, water, soils, recreation, livestock use, mineral deposits, cultural heritage and many other values are studied and managed along with the timber resource.
For forest companies, managing recreation means both providing a range of opportunities and protecting sensitive features within the working forest. Both of these goals are met through the integrated management planning process.
Integrated resource management planning considers resource values and their capabilities for sustained use. There are many levels to the planning process moving from the largest scope at the provincial level through to the site-specific actions at the operational level. Broad social, economic and environmental values, needs and objectives are determined. With these objectives in mind, the planners identify and rate the relative importance of various resources. The planners then try to integrate these uses into one plan. They may be able to come up with solutions that work for all of the resource values or one value may be the major one in that area, with the other resources taking centre stage in other areas. To make these decisions requires data from inventories, research information, evaluation of past management and public input. See the following table for more detail.
Resource planning levels from MoF 1995-2000 Five Year Plan
Resource Planning Levels
| Planning Level | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Provincial |
|
Define provincial goals |
| Regional |
|
Define broad land allocation and resource management objectives |
| Sub-Regional |
|
Define specific land allocation andresource management objectives Define licensees' management objectives and commitments during the term of the plan |
| Local |
|
Resolve local land use issues and direct integrated resource management (IRM) at the watershed level |
| Operational (governed by the Forest Practices Code) |
|
Define the site-specific activity that will occur during the term of the plan |
Recreation values and features are identified in the higher level plans. A forest company's operational plans must show how these identified values will be accommodated and the impacts minimized. Operational plans include the on-the-ground schedule of exactly what actions will be taken and where.
Forest development plans (FDP) range in coverage from pre-harvest planning to the completion of timber harvesting. These plans outline how the licensee will specifically manage recreation in an area. FDP must identify the location of known recreation features, specify how they will be managed or protected and show how harvesting operations will be conducted to minimize negative impacts.
Some areas will have very specific management objectives. These include the special designations identified above in the Protection section: Resource Management Zones, Landscape Units and Sensitive Areas. Also included are recreation sites, recreation trails and interpretive forest sites as well as resource features such as heritage trails, rivers, wilderness areas, caves and sensitive areas with a recreation component. FDP and the silviculture prescription documents must outline how the higher level plan's objectives for these special areas will be met and describe the measures that will ensure that timber harvest and road construction activities are consistent with these special protection objectives.
Forest managers have to balance the recreation resource with other forest resources. This balancing act continues with the elements within recreation management itself, the resource base, the user, the ROS spectrum of activities and the services/development that could be provided to enhance the recreation experience. The manager must choose options that will provide or enhance the recreation opportunity, protect the resource itself and will fit the budget allocation.
There is a component of recreation management called Recreation Analysis and Management Strategy (RAMS) that is sometimes used in a more intense analysis of inventory data. This is usually only used in areas that have high recreation usage and the budget for this more formal investigation.
Today, there is an increasing demand for the various products and services from a diminishing forest resource base, so trade-offs have to be made. For example, increased recreational activities or sites could impact harvest activities through stricter visual constraints or the desire to maintain primitive recreation opportunities. More recreation development could mean less wilderness recreational opportunities.
Managing forest resources requires finding creative ways to make incompatible uses functionally compatible. The tools that help managers do this include: the inventory data base, public input, the framework of the broad goals and objectives defined in the planning process and an expanding range of alternative forest management practices.
SUMMARY
Recreation is recognized as an essential resource within the provincial forests of British Columbia. The recreation resource includes biophysical features, cultural and heritage sites, scenery and recreation developments. A wide range of recreation opportunities are provided from primitive wilderness experiences to more developed campsites for recreational vehicles.
The forest that supports the recreation resource is dynamic and changing. Human interactions in both recreation and timber activities can speed up the rate and direction of change. Forest managers must try to control the level of human-induced change to meet sustainability requirements. This means that recreation must be managed and protected. Protection includes providing special management objectives to prevent damage from road building or logging as well as restrictions to control damage from recreation over-use.
The basis for determining how to protect or manage the resource is inventory data. Information on recreation facilities, features, opportunities and visual resources are gathered and analyzed.
The inventory information and public input help to determine the recreation management objectives for an area. Recreation is one of many components in the integrated resource management plan. The end result of the planning process balances competing values or uses in an area. The goals for recreation are to protect and enhance the recreation resources within the managed forest and provide a wide range of opportunities.
Canfor has been involved in developing campsites, picnic areas, interpretive trails, backpacking cabins, wildlife viewing areas and hiking trails throughout its operational areas for the past 60 years.
REFERENCES
- Wildland Recreation
Hammitt, W., Cole, D. 1987.
John Wiley & Sons. New York. - All Things Considered
Ministry of Forests. (1991) - BC Forests Recreation Program-Squamish Forest District
Ministry of Forests - BC Forest Service Recreation Section
Ministry of Forests - Forest Practices Branch- Forest Development Section Homepage
Ministry of Forests - 1994 Forest, Range and Recreation Resource Analysis
Ministry of Forests - Forest Development Guidebook - FDPS9
Ministry of Forests - Glossary
Ministry of Forests - Karst in British Columbia
Ministry of Forests - Recreation Facts
Facts and Figures
BC Parks - Forest Science
Young, Raymond, 1982
John Wiley and Sons. New York