State of the Fraser Basin Report: Sustainability Snapshot 3

Area of Focus
General Assessments

The 2006 Sustainability Snapshot profiles the social, economic and environmental health of the Fraser Basin, and is the third in a series of reports prepared by the Fraser Basin Council since January 2003. The purpose of Sustainability Snapshot 3 is to help: • Increase public awareness and understanding of sustainability issues and trends • Identify critical issues and appropriate responses to improve progress towards sustainability • Inform and influence decisions and actions to advance sustainability. Sustainability indicators are not decisive measurements or solutions in and of themselves. They can, however, reflect certain trends and help identify areas where progress is being made and where more change is required.

Related Links
2006 State of the Fraser Basin report: Sustainability Snapshot 3

Indicators

  • Forests and forestry: Area of forest affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle
    The mountain pine beetle is a native species, populations of which can occupy large forested areas in the Western US. Large numbers of beetles can kill individual trees and whole swaths of forest during an outbreak. It is normal to have some proportion of forest killed by beetle outbreaks, but climate change and other stressors can increase the likelihood of occupation and spread of the beetle.
  • Forests and forestry: Area of forest disturbed and restocked in BC
    Selective, thinning, and clearcut logging can disturb the forest floor and potentially reduce re-growth of trees. Re-planting trees of he same native mix as occurred in a logged forest can partially mitigate the impact.
  • Forests and forestry: Forest Vulnerability Index
    This index measures the economic well-being of forest communities. The condition of many forest communities is heavily dependent on the forest sector. As the mountain pine beetle outbreak has spread in Western forests, the economic and social impact will be greatest on communities with a high level of dependence on the forestry sector.
  • Natural hazards: Annual costs of flood-related Disaster Financial Assistance and forest fires
    Natural hazards (e.g., fire, flood, drought) often cost government agencies (and private parties) as they try to prevent, mitigate, and recover from the impacts of these hazards. Tracking the cost of assisting the public impacted by floods helps inform the cost-effectiveness of different policies. Tracking the cost of preventing, fighting, and recovering from fires similarly helps to understand what policies are most cost-effective and economical.
  • Population and consumption: % change in consumers choices in support of sustainability (energy conservation, certified sustainable forestry, certified organic farms)
    One dominant idea is that the path to sustainability includes, or consists entirely of, people's consumption choices. The idea is that as people choose the products of more sustainable pathways, total sustainability will increase. As the percent of people making these choices goes up, sustainability becomes more likely. This depends on the total population consumption also being sustainable and supportable by local, regional, or global production.