After an extensive timber supply review, deputy chief forester Diane Nicholls announced on May 22 that the allowable annual cut for the Boundary Timber Supply Area (TSA) will remain at 700,000 cubic metres for 10 years.
The allowable annual cut in the Boundary TSA was first set at 700,000 cubic metres in 1996. The TSA covers a total area of about 659,000 hectares, with about 272,000 hectares available for timber harvesting.
The Boundary TSA contains a diverse mix of tree species with leading stands of lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, larch, spruce and subalpine fir (balsam). Other species include western red cedar, western hemlock, white pine, ponderosa pine, aspen and birch. Given the mix of tree species, this TSA has not been as adversely affected by the mountain pine beetle as areas in the central Interior.
The TSA is situated in southern British Columbia in the Kootenay Boundary region. It is bounded on the west by the Okanagan Highland Range of the Monashee Mountains, on the east by the Christina Range and on the south by the Canada-U.S.A. border.