Silviculture

Silviculture is the growth and management of trees to meet B.C.'s resource management objectives. 

On this page

• Silviculture strategies
• Sustainable forest and timber management
• Stocking standards
• Tree species selection
• Silviculture surveys
• Stand tending
• Silvicultural systems
• Silviculture statistics
• Tree planting

Silviculture strategies

Strategic silviculture plans provide a description of opportunities to increase timber and habitat supply, as well as potential treatments and treatable areas:

• Silviculture Strategies in B.C.
• Growing Opportunities: A New Vision for Silviculture in British Columbia (PDF, 698KB)
• Silviculture: Growing Forests For Our Children’s Children (PDF, 659KB)

Sustainable forest and timber management

To assist forest managers ensuring the sustainable management of B.C. forests:

• Goals and Objectives

Stocking standards

The most important decision in any reforestation program is working out how to meet stand objectives over time. This means applying stocking standards and understanding how a stand fits within the management unit and within landscape priorities, and how best to meet those priorities.

Tree species selection

The tree species selection project is designed to define the current and future need for informed tree species selection decision-making in B.C. in the context of climate change.

• Learn more about the Tree Species Selection Project
• Access the Tree Species Selection Tool

Silviculture surveys

The province uses a silviculture survey system currently to measure reforestation success. It provides information about updated legislation relative to the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation, supporting the declaration of reforestation milestones by major provincial forest licenses. Learn more about silviculture surveys in B.C.

Stand tending

Stand tending includes a variety of forest treatments, including pre-commercial thinning, fertilizing, pruning and commercial thinning, which are carried out to maintain a healthy forest and to increase the quality and quantity of timber produced. Production of healthy, well-managed forest stands can also improve wildlife habitat for some species.  

Silvicultural systems

Silvicultural systems is a planned program of treatments during the whole life of a stand designed to achieve specific stand structural objectives. This program integrates specific harvesting, regeneration and stand tending methods to achieve a predictable yield of benefits from the stand over time, with the goal of ensuring that most available growing space is filled with useful plants for as long as possible.

Useful plants often include timber species, but increasingly include forage and other forest vegetation. Silviculture also strives to ensure that the dynamic structure of the stand meets the needs of the landowner. Silvicultural systems have been designed to maximize the production of timber crops and take into account ecological considerations and resource objectives.

Silviculture statistics

Post-harvest silviculture investments such as site preparation and tree planting ensure new, healthy forests for the future. Access the annual summaries of these accomplishments.

• Silviculture Statistics
• Summary of Harvesting, Planting and Regeneration Trends for Western Redcedar in Coastal TFLs and TSAs 1991 to 2005 (PDF, 1.3MB)

Tree planting

• Tree Planting planning and procedures