Sustainability in the crucible of competing demands

The need to integrate the conservation of biological diversity with social and economic goals is one of the world's most important challenges today. British Columbia's large area and variety of terrains and climates support extensive and diverse forest ecosystems. Historically, the harvesting of timber for forest products has been a primary factor in developing BC's social services and infrastructure. While forest products remain highly important to BC's economy, in recent decades increased environmental awareness has also brought a higher recognition of the richness of BC's biological legacy. Today, BC's forests must be managed sustainably to meet a wide range of management objectives and public demands. The necessary transition in management, which is still underway, has involved extensive public input and significant actions by government. These actions include the development of initiatives designed to conserve biodiversity through land-use planning—which identifies areas for protection and for harvesting—and through the legislated regulation of forest practices in areas suitable for harvesting. All the demands on the land base, and the capability of the land to meet various combinations of these demands, must be considered in determining allowable annual timber harvests.BC has made considerable progress in ensuring sustainability in forest management, but recognizes the evolutionary nature of this management and the inevitability of further change.