Defined Forest Area                 

The SFM Plan area consists of operating areas within the Kamloops, Lillooet and Merritt Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) as well as Tree Farm Licence 18. Unless identified specifically in the Plan, all publicly developed sustainable forest management values, objectives, indicators and targets and their associated forecasts and strategies apply to all participating licencees within the overall Plan area. For the purposes of CSA certification, the Licencee specific plan areas (their Defined Forest Areas) are a subset of the overall Plan area. Participating Licencees in this SFM Plan and their combined Defined Forest Area comprise over 50% of the allocated volume harvested within the three TSAs. 

Area Description

 

The Nicola Thompson Fraser Plan area is situated in the southern interior, east of the Coast Mountains and encompassing the Thompson-Okanagan Plateau. The area extends south to the Canada-USA border and northward to Wells Gray Provincial Park. The overall Plan area follows the administrative boundaries of the Kamloops, Merritt, and Lillooet Timber Supply Areas.
The topography of Nicola Thompson Fraser is one of sharp contrasts, from dry hot grasslands to wet areas and rugged mountains. The Nicola and Thompson Rivers join to meet the Fraser River within the Plan area. In the northern portion of the area, the North Thompson River is bounded by the high peaks of the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains. Wet conditions, with high snowfalls, are the norm. In the central and southern portion, the mountains give way to high plateaus dissected by steep valleys and dotted with lakes and rivers. The landscape continues to become drier and gentler, with rolling uplands and numerous lakes. The dense forests of the north give way to mixed pine and pine-fir forests with grasslands in the river valleys. The western boundary is influenced by the Coastal Mountains, where wet coastal conditions predominate.
Approximately 39 percent of the total area of the combined area comprises the long term timber harvesting land base.

Communities

The Nicola Thompson Fraser Plan area is made up of the Kamloops, Merritt, and Lillooet Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) as well as TFL 18. A brief description of the communities within these areas follows (information taken from most current Timber Supply Review public discussion papers):
Kamloops
Almost 80% of the area’s residents live in the City of Kamloops. Other communities include Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Savona, Chase, and Logan Lake in the south, and Barriere, Blue River, Avola, Clearwater, Little Fort, and Vavenby in the north. The 2006 Census data indicate a total population of 107,298 people residing in the TSA, a 5% increase from 1996.
Merritt
The major population centres are Merritt and Princeton, where about 60% of the TSAs population reside. Smaller communities include Tulameen, Brookmere, Missezula Lake, Douglas Lake, Lower Nicola, Osprey Lake, and Allison Lake.
Lillooet
Lillooet is the largest community in the TSA. As of the 2006 census, the District of Lillooet had an estimated population estimate of 2,324 people. Including the surrounding communities that use Lillooet as their trading centre, the total is estimated at 5,000. Several smaller communities occur within the TSA including Seton Portage/Shalalth, Xaxli’p, Lytton, Pavilion, Spences Bridge, Bralorne, and Gold Bridge.

The Natural Resources

The forests of the Nicola Thompson Fraser provide numerous natural resource values, including forest products, forage, mineral, fish, wildlife, and recreation and tourism opportunities. Extensive grassland and forested areas provide forage vegetation for both livestock and wildlife.
Parks, recreation areas and other Crown lands provide the setting for a host of activities including camping, hiking, wildlife and scenic viewing, fishing, hunting, hang-gliding, boating, river rafting, mountain-biking, four-wheel driving, ATV use, snowmobiling, and downhill, helicopter, and cross country skiing.
Major highways pass through areas of exceptional natural scenery, providing easy access to provincial parks, such as Wells Gray Provincial Park, Manning Park, Cathedral Park, and the Stein Valley Park.
The diverse ecology of the area provide habitat for a wide range of fish and wildlife species. Wildlife include black bear, moose, mule deer, elk, mountain goat, California bighorn sheep, marten, badger and over 200 bird species. Predator species such as spotted owls, grizzly bear, wolf and wolverine are also found. Many wildlife species range over large areas and some have specific habitat requirements at different times of the year. The numerous lakes and watercourses within the area also give rise to numerous fish species, including all five species of salmon, steelhead, rainbow trout, kokanee, brook trout, bull trout, and white sturgeon.