Lillooet LRMP Definitions
Words and Terms Requiring Definitions
EXPLANATORY NOTES
General Description
This document lists those words and terms identified to date that require definition so that everyone has a common understanding of what they mean.
Purpose:
The purpose of this material is to provide the Table with a starting point for discussions on this issue. The words and terms included in the list have been identified by the Table or Working Group as requiring definitions to promote a clear and common understanding of terminology. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, nor necessarily complete. Consequently, additions can be made as required by the Table.
Please note that some definitions may have and/or require universal application, and some may be dependent upon the strategy.
Prepared By:
This document was prepared by the Process Support Team.
Status:
This product is provided for information purposes only, and will be used to assist Table and Working Group discussions.
Note:
Those definitions described as “MoF Definition” were extracted from the Ministry Internet Site: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/PAB/PUBLCTNS/GLOSSARY/GLOSSARY.HTM
Those definitions described as “Guidebook Definition” were extracted from the Biodiversity Guidebook of September 1995
Those definitions described as “Writing Guide Definition” were extracted from the Guide to Writing Resource Objectives and Strategies - December, 1998, prepared by the Ministry of Forests in co-operation with the Land Use Co-ordination Office and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks.
The PST, as a starting point for further discussion, developed those definitions described as “PST Suggested”. Some were extracted from working group or table discussions.
“ “ Quotations around entries indicate a phrase..., which may not have a formally recognized definition.
Summary of Intent:
· Dictionary definitions for various terms will be used where possible. For those terms not in the dictionary, the PST will provide a suggested definition (sources: FPC, MoF glossary of terms).
· Working definitions would be useful for the working group discussions. In the absence of further clarification from the working groups on the meanings of words and terms, the definition from the glossary will stand.
· If definitions or intents have been developed by the working groups for some words and terms (even if only for the purposes of allowing the group to move forward), these will stand unless decided otherwise by the working group, and ultimately the Table.
Additional Note:
· The PST provides the following definitions for issue, goal, objective, strategy and indicator from the guide.
An Objective…
describes WHAT needs to be achieved to address a
particular value or to address a specific interest.
EXAMPLE "Maintain the natural diversity of plant and animal life”
It should be:
· described in general terms
· associated with measurable attributes (see indicator/attribute)
· described in a manner that the intent is understood.
A Strategy…
describes HOW an objective can be achieved “on the ground”.
It should be:
· easily understood ( by everyone )
· practical and doable ( reasonable chance of success )
· consistent with current legislation ( i.e. FPC )
EXAMPLE “Avoid new access in lambing grounds and in areas where sheep concentrate”
An Indicator/Attribute
describes what an objective or a strategy is intended to
address and what we are trying to manage for.
EXAMPLE “secure birthing areas”.
It should be…
· measurable ( with current methodology )
· relevant to the LRMP Base Case Profile
· practical ( reasonable chance of measurement )
Access / Suggested definition (submission from Jim Britton): “”physical entry into an area by appropriate means to accomplicsh a given task.” The means can include: foot; horseback; non-motorized vehicle; motorized vehicle (motorcycle; ATV; quad; car 4x4; pickup truck; dump truck; flatbed truck; lowbed truck - trucks typically have a maximum payload of less than 60 tonnes; snowmobile; snow cat); excavator; bulldozer; drill rig (on wheels, tracks or skids); boat (unpowered or powered); or aircraft (helicopter or fixed wing plane with wheels, skis or floats).Adaptive resource management / Writing Guide Definition: “an approach to managing uncertainty that emphasizes learning by trial. Management policies and practices are adopted, based on best available information, and monitored to assess effects. Adaptations to those policies and practices are made periodically, on the basis of monitoring information to incorporate ‘lessons learned’.”
Age Class / CORE definition: “any interval into which the age range of trees, forests, stands or forest types is divided for classification and use; forest inventories commonly group trees into 20 year age class groups.”
Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) / CORE definition: “land designated and reserved for agricultural purposes under the Agricultural Land Commission Act. The reserve covers about 5% of the province and includes most of BC’s highest quality agricultural land. It includes both private and public lands, and covers land being farmed and land with agricultural potential. Non-agricultural uses on the ALR are regulated.”
Agroforestry / PST Suggested Definition: “Agroforestry is an intensive land management system that optimizes the benefits from the biological interactions created when trees and/or shrubs are deliberately combined with crops and/or animals.“
Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) / CORE definition: “a rate of timber harvesting specified for an area of land by the Chief Forester pursuant to the Forest Act. The average volume of wood which may be harvested annually under sustained yield management.”
Alpine / CORE definition: “the zone in a mountain system which lies above the timberline.
Animal Unit Month (AUM) / CORE definition: “grazing by one mature, 1000-pound cow, with or without unweaned calf at side, or equivalent (e.g., one two-year old horse or five deer) for one month. Grazing stock rates are often expressed as AUMs per hectare or hectares per AUM. Grazing tenures for ranch operations are issued on the basis of AUMs.
Aquatic ecosystem
Area-Based Tenure / CORE definition: “a class of forest tenure under the Forest Act that is issued by the Ministry of Forests to a tenure holder over a specific geographic area. The tenure holder has rights of exclusive access to timber resources within the geographic area in exchange for commitments such as to manage forest resources and pay resource rents.”
Attributes / CORE definition: “inherent characteristics or qualities.”
Avoid / RAS: ”means to refrain from or prevent the occurrence of. There is no explicit test of reasonableness or cost. Most things involving forest practices can be avoided if enough money is spent, but it may not be reasonable.”
avoid where practicable /
RAS: “to avoid where it is feasible; however, it may not be convenient or the most cost effective option.”
avoid where practical / RAS: “to avoid where it makes sense; where a reasonable person would refrain from doing something, and where there is a suitable alternative.”Biodiversity or Biological Diversity / MoF Definition: “the diversity of plants, animals, and other living organisms in all their forms and levels of organization, including genes, species, ecosystems, and the evolutionary and functional processes that link them”
Biogeoclimatic zone / Guidebook Definition: “a geographic area having similar patterns of energy flow, vegetation, and soils as a result of a broadly homogenous macro-climate.”
Biophysical / CORE definition: “the biological and physical characteristics of an area.”
Bioregion / CORE definition: “a region defined by physiographic, water-drainage, climate, plant-community, or other natural characteristics - rather than political or administrative boundaries.
Blue-listed species / Writing Guide Definition: “species classified by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks as sensitive or vulnerable and therefore “at risk”, but not yet endangered or threatened.”
Certainty / Dictionary: “freedom from doubt”, “a well established fact”
Example: “Provide more certainty in the sand and gravel permitting process…”
Clearcutting / Guidebook Definition: “the process of removing all trees, large and small, in a stand in one cutting operation. The previous stand is replaced with an even-aged crop of new trees through planting and/or natural regeneration (including advance regeneration).”
Coarse woody debris / Guidebook Definition: “sound and rotting logs and stumps that provide habitat for plants, animals, and insects and a source of nutrients for soil development. Material generally greater than 8-10 cm in diameter.”
Community Watershed / Writing Guide Definition: “a drainage basin that is managed to provide a domestic water supply to a particular community of users. Such areas may be formally designated as community watersheds pursuant to the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act, which establishes certain management requirements including planning, public participation in decision-making, and pre-development terrain stability assessment.”
Compensate / Dictionary: “to make up for or offset; counterbalance”, “to provide with or act as a substitute”, “to make payment or reparation to reimburse”
Writing Guide Definition: “to neutralize the affect of; to make an approximate and usually counterbalancing payment (syn. offset)”
Connectivity / Dictionary: “serving or tending to connect”, “something that connects”
Writing Guide Definition: “a qualitative term describing the degree to which late-successional ecosystems are linked to form an interconnected network. The degree of interconnectedness and the characteristics of the links vary in natural landscapes based on topography and natural disturbance regime. Breakage of these links results in fragmentation”
Comment: inclusion of seasonal & elevational aspects
Consistency / Writing Guide Definition: “management objectives in one plan that direct on-the-ground activities do not materially conflict with management objectives in another plan.”
Consider / Dictionary: “ to think about seriously”, “to regard as”, “to take into account: bear in mind”, “to show consideration for”
Writing Guide Definition: “to think about with care or sound state (syn study, weigh, reflect)”
Critical Wildlife Habitat / MoF Definition: “ part or all of a specific place occupied by a wildlife species or a population of such species and recognized as being essential for the maintenance of the population.”
Deactivation / MoF Definition: “Measures taken to stabilize roads and logging trails during periods of inactivity, including the control of drainage, the removal of sidecast where necessary and the re-establishment of vegetation for permanent deactivation.”
Designated Heritage Trail / MoF Definition: “A heritage trail designated under the Heritage Conservation Act.”
Ecological Reserve / CORE definition: “a land use designation under the Ecological Reserve Act that protects particular areas of land or water from disposition under any resource statute. Ecological reserves are designated for scientific research and educational purposes.”
Ecosystem / CORE definition: “a functional unit consisting of all the living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a given area, and all the non-living physical and chemical factors of their environment, linked together through nutrient cycling and energy flow. An ecosystem can be of any size - a log, pond, field, forest, or the earth’s biosphere - that functions as a whole unit. Ecosystems are commonly described according to the major type of vegetation, for example, forest ecosystem, old-growth ecosystem, or range ecosystem.”
Endangered Species / see “threatened or endangered species.”
Enhance / Dictionary: to make greater, more attractive, more valuable”
Example: upgrading existing recreation trails or identifying new ones.
Even-aged management / Guidebook Definition: “a silvicultural system that is designed to regenerate and maintain an even-aged stand. Clearcutting, seed tree and shelterwood are even-aged systems.”
Extirpation
Forage / MoF Definition: “grasses, herbs and small shrubs that can be used as feed for livestock or wildlife”
Forest Ecosystem Network / Guidebook Definition: “a planned landscape zone that serves to maintain or restore the natural connectivity within a landscape unit. A forest ecosystem network (or FEN) consists of a variety of fully protected ares, sensitive areas, and old-growth management areas.”
Forest Practices Code (FPC) / Writing Guide Definition: legislation (Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act), regulations made pursuant to that Act, and technical guidebooks, that together govern forest practices in British Columbia.
Goal / Writing Guide Definition: “broad statements that describe a future vision with respect to a particular subject (environmental, social or economic).
“harvest design”
Heritage areas / MoF Definition: “Sites of historical, architectural, archaeological, paleontological, scenic significance to the province.”
Heritage trail / MoF Definition: “A trail having cultural significance by reason of established aboriginal use or use by early immigrants.”
Higher Level Plan (HLP) / Writing Guide Definition: “defined in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act as an objective for:
· a resource management zone
· a landscape unit or sensitive area
· a recreation site, recreation trail, or interpretive forest site
Higher priority / Dictionary: Priority: “precedence, esp. established by order of urgency or importance”, “something that merits prior attention”, “a recognized right of precedence”
Example: “A higher priority be given to water quality management for…”
Indicator / Writing Guide Definition: “a measurement criterion used during plan monitoring to assess the effectiveness of plan strategies in achieving plan goals and objectives over time. Indicators may express an expected absolute, numerical outcome (e.g., number of recreation user days), or they may be more subjective (e.g., “low” impact on recreational experiences”.)
Issues / Writing Guide Definition: “ problems and unrealized opportunities respecting land and resources that a resource planning process will address. Identification and documentation of planning issues is an important step in resource planning as a basis for assembling relevant planning information and for developing appropriate resource goals and objectives.”
Land and Resource Management Planning (LRMP) / Writing Guide Definition: “an integrated sub-regional, consensus-based planning process requiring public participation that produces a Land and Resource Management Plan for review and approval by government. The plan establishes direction for land use and specifies broad resource management objectives and strategies.
Landscape / Guidebook Definition: “a watershed or series of similar and interacting watersheds, usually between 10 000 and 100 000 ha in size.”
Landscape Unit / Guidebook Definition: “a planning area, generally up to about 100 000 ha in size, delineated according to topographic or geographic features such as a watershed or series of watersheds. It is established by the district manager.”
Writing Guide Definition: “areas of land and water used for long-term planning of resource management activities. They are important for designing strategies and patterns for landscape-level biodiversity and for managing other forest resources. Landscape units may be used by the district manager to establish objectives for any purpose permitted under section 2 of the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act.