(Note: This webinar has been postponed due to BCGEU job action and will be rescheduled at a later date.)

Learn more about the Cumulative Effects Framework (CEF) and how it is relevant to forest professionals in a new webinar that expands on a series of articles in BC Forest Professional magazine this year.

Cumulative Effects and Sustainable Forest Management, a free webinar from Forest Professionals BC, explores key components of the framework, what type of information and data are available, and how forest professionals can apply this in their work.

Cumulative effects are the changes to environmental, social, and economic values caused by the combined effects of past, present, and potential future human activities and natural processes. They are complex and occur across various spatial and temporal scales. The framework was developed to assess and support the management of cumulative effects within the natural resource sector.

The presenters will provide a brief overview on the CEF and discuss the old growth forest and forest biodiversity values. This will include why they were selected as values, current management challenges, and how they are assessed under the framework. The presenters will also provide suggested steps on how forest professionals can effectively incorporate cumulative effects information into their work, using case studies to demonstrate this in real examples of operational and strategic planning processes.

Learning outcomes:

• understand what the Cumulative Effects Framework is and what type of information is available;
• understand how old growth and forest biodiversity are assessed under the framework; and
• know how to use framework data and information in your day-to-day practice.

Date: TBD

Time: TBD

Cost: free

Presenters:

• Darcie Fodor, RPF, MSFM;
• Felice Griffiths, BSc, MRM;
• Doug Lewis, RPF; and
• Traci Van Spengen, P.Ag.

Fodor is an assessment co-ordinator and policy analyst for the cumulative effects framework, developing reports and decision-support materials for old growth forests and forest biodiversity. She has worked across the province on strategic land use planning, ecosystem and landbase analyses, and forest stewardship and restoration projects.

Griffiths is the policy and guidance team lead with the cumulative effects framework and has 20 years of experience working in resource management for the provincial government in areas of wildlife management, environmental assessment, and cumulative effects assessment and management.

Lewis is a landscape ecologist and forest biodiversity value lead for the cumulative effects framework and has 25 years experience working with industry and government and focuses on evaluating the effects of forest harvesting and natural disturbances on multiple forest values.

Van Spengen has more than 30 years experience collaborating with resource professionals in the development of government legal orders, policy and field monitoring. Working with the cumulative effects framework, she focuses on evaluating old growth forests to support resource management planning.

• BC Forest Professional, spring 2025: The BC Cumulative Effects Framework: A Guide for Forest Professionals, by Melissa Lucchetta, MRM; and Darcie Fodor, RPF, MSFM
• BC Forest Professional, summer 2025: The BC Cumulative Effects Framework: Forest Biodiversity and Old Growth Forests, by Doug Lewis, RPF; Traci Van Spengen, P.Ag; Darcie Fodor, MSFM, RPF; and Melissa Lucchetta, MRM
• Coming October 1: BC Forest Professional, fall 2025: Using Cumulative Effects Information to Support Forest Stewardship by Darcie Fodor, RPF; Doug Lewis, RPF; and Felice Griffiths, MRM