F

Fine filter approach: an approach to maintaining biodiversity under the forest practices code that is directed towards particular habitats or individual species whose habitat requirements are not adequately covered by the coarse filter guidelines. These habitats may be critical in some way and the species threatened or endangered (see also coarse filter approach).

Fisheries-sensitive zones: defined in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act Operational Planning Regulation as side and back channels, ponds, swamps, seasonally flooded depressions, lake littoral zones and estuaries that are seasonally occupied by over-wintering anadromous fish (see also marine-sensitive zones).

Five year silviculture plan: an operational plan containing a schedule of the activities that will be undertaken in each of the five years, a map showing the location of the proposed silviculture treatments for each of the first two years of the plan, and a schedule of fuel management measures for each of the first two years of the plan.

Forest Appeals Commission: an independent body established under the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act to hear appeals against decisions that have been reviewed by a designated official.

Forest cover requirements: specify desired distributions of areas by age or size class groupings. These objectives can be used to reflect desired conditions for wildlife, watershed protection, visual quality and other integrated resource management objectives.

Forest cover type: a descriptive term used to group forest stands of similar characteristics and species composition (due to given ecological factors) by which they may be differentiated from other groups of stands.

Forest development plan: an operational plan guided by the principles of integrated resource management which details the logistics of timber development usually over a period of five years. Methods, schedules and responsibilities for accessing, harvesting, renewing and protecting forest resources are set out to enable site-specific operations to proceed.

Forest ecosystem network (FEN): a zone that serves to maintain or restore the natural connectivity within an area.

Forest health factors: biotic and abiotic influences on the forest that are usually a naturally occurring component of forest ecosystems. Biotic influences include fungi, bacteria, insects, nematodes, other animals and plants. Abiotic influences include frost, snow, fire, wind, sun, drought and nutrients.

Forest land: land classified under Section 4 of the Forest Act that the chief forester considers will provide the greatest contribution to the social and economic welfare of the Province if predominantly maintained in successive crops of trees or forage, or both, or maintained as wilderness.

Forest Land Reserve (FLR): land designated under the Forest Land Reserve Act. This land includes private land within a tree farm licence and private land classed as managed forest land under the Assessment Act, as well as designated Crown land in the Provincial forest. Removal of land from the Reserve is restricted, as is use and subdivision of the land. The purpose of the Reserve is to maintain the commercial working forest of British Columbia.

Forest licence (FL): an agreement entered into under Part 3, Division 2 of the Forest Act which grants the rights to harvest timber on Crown land. A forest licence has a term not exceeding 20 years, usually specifies an allowable annual cut (a portion of the total AAC for the timber supply area) and requires a management plan.

Forest practice: for the purposes of the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act means timber harvesting, road construction, road maintenance, road use, road deactivation, silviculture treatments, botanical forest product collecting, grazing, hay cutting, fire use, control and suppression and any other activity that is

Forest Practices Advisory Council: a body established under the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act to undertake periodic reviews of the operational planning and forest practice requirements under the Act and regulations. The Council may also make recommendations to the appropriate body on matters referred by the Ministers of Forests; Environment, Lands and Parks; and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.

Forest Practices Board: a body established under the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act to undertake independent audits of forest practices and investigate public complaints regarding compliance and the appropriateness of government enforcement. The board also provides the means of public access to the Forest Appeals Commission.

Forest practices code (FPC): commonly used to refer to the legislation (including the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act and associated regulations), standards and guidebooks that govern forest practices in B.C.

Forest recreation areas: areas outside of parks managed by the Forest Service that are used regularly for recreation, or areas that have recreation potential. These areas fall into one of five categories: primitive, semi-primitive non-motorized, semi-primitive motorized, roaded resource land, and rural.

Forest renewal plan: a major long-term plan to renew British Columbia's forests by improving reforestation and silviculture, cleaning up environmental damage, and enhancing community stability and employment within the forest sector.

Forest resources: defined in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act as resources and values associated with forests and range including, without limitation, timber, water, wildlife, fisheries, recreation, botanical forest products, forage and biological diversity (see also resource values). Forest stand: a community of trees sufficiently uniform in species composition, structure, age, arrangement, and condition, and growing on a site of sufficiently uniform quality to be distinguishable as a group from the forest or other growth on the adjoining area, and thus forming a silviculture or management entity.

Fragmentation: occurs when large continuous forest patches are converted into one or more smaller patches surrounded by naturally disturbed or developed areas.

Free growing stand: defined in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act as a stand of healthy trees of a commercially valuable species, the growth of which is not impeded by competition from plants, shrubs or other tree.