Planning for sustainable forests in British Columbia through land use zoning

Economic theory suggests that managing every hectare of forestland for multiple products, which is occurring in British Columbia, is inefficient. Using a case study for the Revelstoke area of the province, we demonstrate that spatially separating commercial timber activities from non-timber ones can lead to higher timber rents, while affording better environmental protection, including protection of critical wildlife habitat. Zoning provides an incentive to invest resources in intensive management in areas dedicated to commercial timber production, while enhancing the flow of other resource values from the unit as a whole. With zoning it is possible to avoid areas where visual and environmental amenity values are particularly sensitive, which is not possible with current, multiple-use management regimes. By focusing timber production, it is possible to reduce the forestland base, required to maintain current levels of harvest, by over 50 percent.