These projects will combine to reforest 255 hectares of disturbed and ecologically degraded land through the planting of native coniferous and deciduous trees.The restoration of these sites will promote increased biodiversity by providing more varied and contiguous wildlife habitat. Re-establishing forest cover will also contribute to restoring ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and water and air purification.
In light of the upcoming release of the Forest Carbon Offset Protocol (FCOP) we have engaged with several organizations and stakeholders throughout British Columbia in an effort to initiate Afforestation/Reforestation (AR) projects. These projects will plant native and ecologically appropriate trees in disturbed and ecologically degraded private land and Indian Reserves throughout British Columbia for the purpose of ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration while adopting the standards that will be necessary in the future to acquire carbon offsets under FCOP. We have multiple 2021 wildfire restoration projects in development with our First Nations partners. Specifically, we are in the process of developing projects with the Ulkatcho and Lytton First Nations for the restoration of fire impacted forests. The Lytton First Nation project includes some very high profile sites to assist in restoring the Lytton town site as well as fire impacted reservation lands. We will accomplish this with nursery surplus seedlings for Spring 2022.
The projects with our First Nations partners span multiple Biogeoclimatic Zones and will include tree species such as hybrid spruce (Picea glauca x engelmannii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosae). These projects represent a critical intersection between climate change mitigation through enhanced high rigour carbon sequestration and climate change resilience/adaptation. These projects will restore wildlife habitat (Old Growth Management Areas and Riparian Management Areas), protect communities from future wildfires, assist with First Nations economic development through large-scale climate finance projects, and sequester carbon. 2. Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District Lot Reforestation This project will reforest hectares of land jointly managed by the Canadian Armed Forces, Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District and the Esk’etemc and Tl’esqox First Nations. The fire in 2017 burned with extremely high intensity and incinerated the organic component of the top soil and seed bank. Forest professionals estimate it will take at least 30 years before these sites will begin to regenerate through natural seeding processes.
Planting prescriptions will be developed by professional silviculture foresters using best management practices such as the MoFLNRORD guidance document on reforesting dry forests, Climate Based Seed Transfer, and Climate Change Informed Species Selection, which will ensure that native and ecologically planted species will be planted and are resilient to future climate. Tree species will include lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and western larch (Larix occidentalis). We will also be working alongside district stewardship officers ensuring we’re in line with any relevant landscape level management plans.
Location: Central and Southern British Columbia
Species: Douglas Fir – Fdi , Yellow Pine – Pw , Spruce – Sx , Lodge Pole Pine – Pli , Larch – Lw , Cottonwood – Ct , Aspen – At , Cedar – Cw , Willow.