What is an IFPA?

Why have an IFPA in the Okanagan?

What is the location of the Okanagan IFPA?

What is the Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society?

Who are the members in the OIFS?

What is the "Vision" of the OIFS?

What are the goals of the OIFS?

What is the management structure of the Society?

What is an IFPA?

Innovative Forest Practices Agreements are Legislated through Section 59.1 of the Forest Act of British Columbia as an agreement between the Minister of Forests and a Major Forest Licensee to under take incremental forestry activities. As an incentive to Licensee for investing capital into the forested landbase, the Licensee may be granted an incremental Allowable Annual Cut, upon meeting a number of conditions.

Why have an IFPA in the Okanagan?

The Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society (OIFS) was formed as an outcome of the Westbank Agreement signed between Canada, BC and the Westbank First Nations. One of the components of the agreement is a Co-operative Forestry Agreement (CFA) between seven forest licensees in the Okanagan Timber Supply Area (TSA) and the Ministry of Forests. The CFA calls for a temporary surrender by the licensees of up to 5 percent of the Allowable Annual Cut ( 106,569 cubic meters per year ) in exchange for an Innovative Forest Practices Agreement (IFPA) which will provide an opportunity for an AAC uplift.

The Okanagan TSA, situated in southern central British Columbia, covers approximately 2.26 million hectares of landbase and is one of the most ecologically complex areas of the province. Approximately 320 km long and 140 km wide, it stretches south from Seymour River / Shuswap Lake to the Canada - U.S.A border and west from the Monashee Mountains to the Okanagan Range. The area features many lakes including Okanagan, Shuswap, Osoyoos, Mabel, Sugar, Kalamalka, Wood, Vaseux and Skaha. The region includes a diversity of ecosystems and biogeoclimatic zones. In particular, the region is also noted for its arid landscape, which is unique in Canada. The area also includes the largest number of rare, endangered and threatened species in BC., due to the relative rarity of ecosystems in the southern Okanagan, and the high level of urban development and population growth.
The Okanagan IFPA includes membership of all volume based Forest Licensees in the Okanagan TSA with the exemption of land based Tree Farm Licenses and Woodlot Licenses.

What is the Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society?

To implement the IFPA, the licensees created the Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society under the Societies Act and established a Board of Directors with representation from each of the seven licensees, as wells as, Selkirk Timber Company and the Ministry of Forests Small Business Forest Enterprise Program in the Okanagan TSA A technical committee was also formed to oversee the development of the IFPA Forestry Plan.

Who are the members in the OIFS?

The membership of the OIFS includes Bell Pole Company, Federated Co-operatives Limited, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., LP Engineered Wood Products Ltd., Selkirk Timber Company, Tolko Industries Ltd., Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd., and the BC Timber Sales BCTS.

What is the "Vision" of the OIFS?

The Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society will purse sustainable forest management so as to increase the harvest level of the Okanagan Timber Supply Area and sustain economic, social and environmental values for local communities.

What are the goals of the OIFS?

The goals of the Okanagan Innovative Forestry Society include:

1. Based on scientifically proven rationale, submit a request for an AAC uplift by August 2002. The increase in ACC will be achieved through the completion of:
· predictive ecosystem mapping and site index adjustment in the dry belt ecosystem of the Okanagan TSA
· silviculture 2 strategy and silviculture and enhanced forestry activities.

2. Based on scientifically proven ratinale, submit a request for an additional increase in AAC to the Regional Manager, Ministry of Forests by March 2004. The increase in ACC will be achieved through the completion of:
· vegetation inventory
· predictive ecosystem mapping and site index adjustment in the wet belt ecosystem of the Okanagan TSA
· other innovative forest practices and management strategies.

What is the management structure of the Society?
The organization structure of the Society (Figure 1) has been designed to provide a simple but effective mechanism for developing strategic goals, achieving the strategic goals through operational delivery and for the input of external advice.
Board of Directors
- Licensees (8) and BC Timber Sales Branch in the Okanagan TSA.
Executive Director
- Responsible for managing the operations of the Society.
Advisory Panel
- An advisory panel made up of senior managers including the Society Executive, Ministry of Forests, Ministry Sustainable Resource Management, Ministry Water Land and Air Proctection, Okanagan University College, Columbia Shuswap Regional District, Municipalities representation, Lay members. First Nations have been invited and attended as observers to the advisory panel.
Forestry Technical Committee
- Forest Licensees, BC Timber Sales Branch in the Okanagan TSA, Ministry of Forests, Ministry Sustainable Resource Management, Ministry Water Land and Air Protection, - Forestry Plan development and implementation. Advisory to the Executive Director.
Society Operations
- Core Forestry Plan activities being managed directly by the Society.
Membership operations
- Core and non-core landbase activities approved in the Forestry Plan and managed by member companies within their specific chart area of their Forest License