New future for old forests - From Review to Action

From Review to Action is the Province’s response to A New Future for Old Forests, an independent report which sets out to inform the development of public policy around the management of old forests.

On this page:

• From Review to Action
• Goals of From Review to Action
• Timeline of implementation
• What will success look like?

From Review to Action

The review was commissioned by the Province in 2019 and released publicly in September 2020. The review panel engaged the public in a conversation about old growth to provide more clarity on forest and ecosystem management and how economic, conservation and cultural values can be met.

From Review to Action provides a pathway for a new kind of active stewardship and sets out a series of goals and actions to guide us towards implementation. Actions are underway to implement all 14 recommendations, from those that depend on the creation of new planning approaches and partnerships, to those that demand urgent action.

Read the Review to Action document (PDF, 4.7MB)

Goals of From Review to Action

The report outlines approximately 30 actions, organized under three goals, many of which are underway while others are in various stages of planning. Many of the actions are based on continuing work on existing initiatives. Each goal has a set of desired outcomes to help measure progress in meeting our goals. Like the forests themselves, the actions are interconnected, drawing on the need for new partnerships and collaborations.

• Goal one: Expand the system of stable and inclusive land governance 
• Goal two: Stewardship for healthy ecosystems
• Goal three: Support the changing system  

Timeline of implementation

The Province has been working since 2020 to implement the 14 recommendations as outlined in A New Future for Old Forests, with a projected timeframe below for putting the new systems in practice.

Progress under this plan will be jointly reviewed with First Nations and reported publicly until the implementation of this work is within the “Long-Term Delivery” phase, anticipated to be underway within two to four years.

The Province is progressing through four phases of implementation. During the first phase in 2020-2022, the Province worked with First Nations to carry out the immediate deferral of high-value biodiversity areas of old forest.

The second phase laid the foundations for success where engagement, investments and accelerated deadlines were the focus.

With the release of From Review to Action, we move into stage three, where we are building structures for success by establishing critical infrastructure, assigning resources, and planning for key legislative amendments.

The final phase of this work is where we enter a long-term delivery mode. Reaching this phase will depend on working with First Nations, and with a diversity of other groups in B.C. We will have achieved this phase once Provincial ministries and others have assumed the new long-term functions required to achieve the desired change. 

What will success look like?

This plan includes a commitment to ongoing oversight and reporting out. Working with First Nations and other partners metrics for regularly reporting have been developed and will continue to evolve. Some initial measures of progress that will be reported on regularly include:

• Number of Forest Landscape Planning tables underway
• Amount of Old Growth
• Frequency of public release of old growth harvesting data