Failing to Adapt and Adjust to a Changing Ecosystem

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Industry companies exist by converting trees into lumber, but reforestation is ultimately a cost, not an investment. Companies must meet regulation standards by reforesting harvested areas, but they not to account for factors like species diversity when accounting for profitability. As a result, companies have no incentive but to plant the lowest cost growing species with the quickest growth rate to maximize their profits. In British Columbia, this has manifested itself in the overgrowing of Lodgepole Pine, which weakens ecosystem resiliency (Doyle, 2012). However, this species planted does not necessarily reflect the goals of long-term objectives of forest management. It is important to try to align the incentives of the government and industry together if we want to tackle the objective of maintaining our forests’ sustainability.

In conclusion, our greatest threats to the forest come from forest mismanagement that fail to set objectives with accurate key performance indicators in both the public and private sector, and these issues have been greatly accelerated due to natural disturbances such as the Mountain Pine beetle. Going forward, we must set an appropriate framework that allows us to benchmark where we currently stand, and where we need to eventually be. This data-driven, big-picture approach will allow the government to clearly understand what success means and execute an effective strategy. Perhaps a strategy could be defined that not only accounts for the environmental, economic, and social well-being for British Columbia, but also one that more closely aligns the incentives of the public and private sector. It is important to recognize that British Columbia is still a global leader in forest management and does many things well, but we must set a proactive strategy today in order to ensure our forests’ long-term sustainability.

Works Cited

Doyle, J. (2012, February 11). An Audit of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ Management of Timber. Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://www.bcauditor.com/sites/default/files/publications/2012/report_11/report/OAGBC _FLNRO-Management-Timber.pdf

Mountain Pine Beetle. (2016). Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/top-insects/13381

Mountain Pine Beetle Projections. Retrieved November 02, 2016, from http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest- resources/forest-health/forest-pests/bark-beetles/mountain-pine-beetle/mpb- projections

Sterling, J. (2009). We need to know what's going on in B.C.'s forests. Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://forestnet.com/LSJissues/april_may12/

Sustainable Forest Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bcfii.ca/bc-forests-and- markets/sustainable-forest-management#_ftn1