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FREMP
> Estuary Management Plan > Action
Programs > Log Management
Due in part to easy transportation provided by the Fraser River, the
forestry industry has driven much of the economic development in British
Columbia over the past 100 years. In addition to serving as a conduit
for boomed logs traveling from point of harvest to processing facilities,
the estuary itself is a crucial storage site, allowing the processors
to bridge the reduction in log supply that occurs over the winter, when
harvesting ceases.
Log booms, however, can damage intertidal and subtidal habitat if not
stored carefully. Specifically, booms stored too close to the high water
mark can crush marshes and compact mud flats as the tide ebbs. Wood debris
(everything from loose bark to logs) which breaks off when logs are moved,
can smother marshes and present a boating hazard.
To minimize the impacts of log storage and handling while ensuring that
the forestry industry can continue to store and handle logs in the Fraser
River, the
Estuary Management Plan (EMP) charges FREMP to:
- promote
compliance with its log storage guidelines; and,
- reduce
the generation and presence of waterborne debris resulting from log
handling in the estuary.
In response to the
EMP, the following activities have occurred:
1. 100%
Compliance with the Log Storage Guidelines
Updated in 1999, these guidelines have been adopted by the forestry industry
so much so that more than 20 hectares of marsh and mudflat have seen habitat
growth.
2.
Reducing Log Debris in the Estuary
FREMP sits on the Debris Management Partners Group, which is developing
a more environmentally sound and economically viable debris recovery strategy
for the region.
FREMP's initiatives
have included the testing of mini trap booms and the development of Best
Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize debris from forestry operations.
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