Changes to the annual allowable cut in the Invermere Timber Supply Area will see a reduction in logging to about 17 per cent less allowance than in 2005. The reduction is coming after the mountain pine beetle epidemic salvage wraps up in the area.

Currently, the allowable annual cut for the Invermere Timber Supply Area is 496,720 cubic metres and will drop down to 424,800 metres after five years. According to Chief Forester Diane Nicholls, under the Forest Act, the chief forester is required to review the allowable annual cut for a timber supply area at least once every 10 years.

For the Invermere area, the new two-tiered allowable cut system is reflective of a transition to lower mid-term harvest levels.

“Two-tiered reflects that fact that the AAC is initially set at 496,720 cubic metres per year until June 2022; then the AAC will become 424,800 cubic metres,” said Nicholls.

With over 1.3 million hectares in the Invermere Timber Supply Area, four major companies hold the rights to logging in the region, including Canfor, North Star Planning, Kinbasket Development Corporation and Akisqnuk Resources Limited. The reduction in the annual allowable cut restricts the amount each license holder is allowed to harvest from the region per year.

“The new allowable annual cut is consistent with recent annual harvest levels so there is not expected to be any impact on jobs,” said Nicholls.

The reduction in the allowable cut will help to sustain additional wildlife habitat areas which had previously been reduced by 16 per cent due to timber harvesting according to Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources.