FOREST PLANNING - OPERATIONS - SILVICULTURE

Apollo’s operations are spread from the southern tip of the Fort St. James Forest District up to Omineca River. Apollo’s operating areas total approximately 255,858 ha. The landscape in which Apollo operates varies from flat areas in the Beaver, to gently rolling hills in the Kazchek and Kloch, and to rugged mountains in the Takla, Kwanika, and Omineca areas.

Our Operating Areas are displayed on large 1:100,000 maps by the northern and southern Forest District. Each pdf map can be viewed by clicking on the associated link.

These maps represent detailed resource information, including; harvested blocks, planned blocks, proposed blocks, built & proposed roads, trapline areas, guide-outfitting territories, visually sensitive areas, ungulate winter ranges, lakes, lakeshore management areas, rivers, major streams, private land, parks, protected areas, range tenure areas, Indian reserves, woodlots, and utilities.

Due the current Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic in Fort St. James, Apollo is concentrating harvesting and road building in lodgepole pine leading forests. As shown on Apollo's 2007-2008 Operational Harvesting and Road Construction Map, current operations are being focused in the most severely attacked operating areas - Kazchek and Beaver.

The one constant in the forest industry is change. Over the years, the legislation governing BC forests have gone through a variety of changes - from the heavily regulated Forest Practices Code to the current results-based Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA).

FRPA and several supporting regulations took effect on January 31, 2004. The FRPA results-based framework maintains high environmental standards that are expected by the public. It encourages innovation by skilled resource professionals and holds licensees responsible for outcomes. The new regulations require licence holders to prepare Forest Stewardship Plans that are consistent with resource management objectives that have been established by government.

A Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) is a results-based, broad-level plan that shows potential forest development activities that are intended to take place within identified forest development units described in the plan. FSP are approved for up to a five-year period and may be extended for up to an additional five years. FSP's are used to communicate the results and/or strategies that will be used to address the resource objectives that have been set by government under Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). In order for Apollo to harvest Crown timber or build roads, approval must be received from the province. Apollo's FSP was approved on September 2, 2005.

Apollo harvests approximately 320,000 m3 of wood off of it's associated Forest Licences. This volume is equivalent to approximately 1050 ha.s per year from the Timber Harvesting Landbase. Harvesting is currently concentrated in forest types that have been adversely impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle. The Beaver, Kazchek, and Kloch operating areas have been impacted the most as a result of the Mountain Pine Beetle.

Apollo reforests all harvested blocks over 1 ha. in size. In 2008, Apollo plans to plant approximately 2.2 million seedlings. Since 1982, Apollo has planted over 22 million trees.