Common use of Operating Area Clause in Contracts

Operating Area. Operating Area is where forest development and other activities will continue. (See map X attached for proposed Operating Areas) For the Southern portion of the plan area the following will apply: • The forest industry recognizes that the South Forum Plan Area includes a number of visually sensitive areas that are very important to Recreation and Tourism interests. • Much of the same area is also highly productive forest land of significant value to the forest industry and reductions in the available land base will have significant AAC implications. • Generally, the industry believes that both visual quality and timber harvesting interests can be addressed most effectively through: 1) attaching a range of priority to visual important areas at a strategic level 2) engaging in a collaborative and professionally focused/managed discussion to develop visual quality objectives at a more detailed scale 3) proceeding carefully, in a manner that recognizes forest development will continue, while learning from the lessons learned in the field. 1. The ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Protection Area would preclude industrial logging and mining but would be subject to the development of a management strategy developed in collaboration with First Nations, adjacent communities and rec/tourism interests. 2. SMZ1 consists of the area that is adjacent to and surrounds the Protection Area and another is centered on upper knight Inlet near the Ahnuhati Inlet. SMZ1 would be managed to provide a landscape surrounding the Protection Area that is consistent with the expectations of water-based rec/tourism users and would also provide for very carefully planned and executed forest harvesting. SMZ1 land would include preservation, retention and partial retention VQOs. Visual Quality Objectives (VQOs) for SMZ1 will be determined through the process described below. Effort will be made to ensure forest harvesting operations in SMZ1 are scheduled to avoid conflict with high-season rec./tourism use of the area. 3. SMZ2 consists of two polygons, one surrounding SMZ1 and another centred on ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Islands. SMZ2 will be managed to provide for both high levels of recreation and continued forest harvesting. SMZ2 lands would include primarily partial retention and retention VQOs although preservation and modification VQOs may be appropriate in some settings. VQOs will be determined through the process described below. 4. All other areas in the South Forum Plan Area where there is an interest in visual quality would be addressed through public consultations planned by the respective Forest Districts. Process for Setting VQOs in SMZ1 and SMZ2: • VQOs for SMZ1 and SMZ2 lands will be determined through a collaborative “field oriented” discussion, drawing interested parties together in a mix of field trips and mapping sessions to reach agreement on VQOs and/or a recommended percentage of forest cover removal for each specific viewscape. The parties may elect to develop VQOs for representative viewscapes and then apply those findings to similar viewscapes. • Generally, it is anticipated that work on SMZ1 land would begin in the 2001 field season, with work on SMZ2 land following thereafter. All VQOs will be completed in time for inclusion in the completed CCLCRMP. • A small planning group will be convened, made up of First Nations, local rec/tourism interests, provincial rec/tourism interests, forest industry staff and representatives of MOF, MSBTC and ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇. • The planning group will receive technical guidance and direction from a forest landscape architect or specialist. The group will initially be convened by an independent facilitator. The facilitator will assist the planning group in developing a work plan and provide secretarial support (i.e. meeting arrangements, minutes, records, interim reports and products, etc) • In instances where it is not possible to reach agreement, the parties would submit to a time-limited process of dispute resolution.