Located within the Coastal Forest Region, the South Island Forest District (SIFD) covers the southern third of Vancouver Island. The district boundaries extend from Victoria to Denman and Hornby Island on the east coast, and from Victoria to the southern shores of Nootka Sound (Gold River) on the west coast. The district office is located in Port Alberni, and has a smaller office located in Cobble Hill. Link to Forest Region and District Map.
The estimated population for this area is greater than 550,000 (17% of the provincial population). The major population centers are Victoria, Duncan, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet, Lake Cowichan, Nanoose, and Chemainus.
On the east side of the island there is a long history of timber harvesting. The forested area is principally second or third growth stands comprised of Douglas-fir, with minor amounts of red alder, western red cedar, western hemlock, grand fir, and western white pine. A substantial portion of this area is private forest land. Crown lands are relatively small, and fragmented on the east coast.
On the west side of the island there is a shorter history of harvesting. The forested area is principally old growth forests with some younger second growth. Stands along the west coast are comprised mainly of western hemlock, western red cedar, amabilis fir, yellow cedar, with minor amounts of red alder, Douglas-fir, and mountain hemlock. For additional information on the vegetation see the biogeoclimatic zones map of BC.
For more factual information on Coast Forest Region and Vancouver Island visit the BC Forest Information web site.
Thirty six First Nations have traditional territories located within the geographical area of the South Island Forest District. Four treaty associations and two tribal council represent all but three of the First Nations (click for FN contact information).
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Important Announcements: |
* Temporary FSR road closure notices are posted on the Forest Roads Info section of the web site. For more information users should also contact the licensees operating in your area of interest.  |
** National Forest Week 2007 (September 23-29) was geared to be a great success and was be held the last full week of September (Sunday through Saturday).
This year the theme was"Canada's Forests - Tradition and Transition". You can find more information on the origines of National Forest Week at the Canadian Forestry web site: www.canadianforestry.com
If you are interested in participating or registering your event for the 2008 season please contact: Emma Neill at (250) 731-3022 or via e-mail at Emma.Neill@gov.bc.ca
For more information see the SIFD NFW web page. |
*** Three Wildlife Habitat Areas (1-033, 1-034 and 1-040) for Marbled Murrelet were approved on December 4, 2006 under the Forest and Range Practices Act and the regulations made under that Act. Notification of these WHAs was published in the December 7, 2006 issue of the BC Gazette and were posted on the MOE approved WHA web site on December 18, 2006. Pursuant to section 4 of the Government Actions Regulation these WHAs took effect on December 18, 2006. For more information visit the Objectives Matrix Wildlife section or the MoE web site
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| ***** The approved Government Action Regulation (GAR) Order for visual quality objectives (VQO) is now in full effect (April 15, 2006). For more information see below. |
SOUTH ISLAND OFFICES |
| Port Alberni District Office
Ministry of Forests and Range
South Island Forest District
4885 Cherry Creek Road,
Port Alberni, B.C., V9Y 8E9
Phone: (250) 731-3000
Fax: (250) 731-3010
Mailing Address:
Ministry of Forests and Range
South Island Forest District
4885 Cherry Creek Road,
Port Alberni, B.C., V9Y 8E9 |
Cobble Hill Office
Ministry of Forests and Range
South Island Forest District
3819 Trans Canada Hwy
Cobble Hill, B.C., V0R 1L0
Phone: (250) 743-8933
Fax: (250) 743-7299
Mailing Address:
Ministry of Forests and Range
South Island Forest District
5785 Duncan Street,
Duncan, B.C., V9L 5G2 |
Hours of Operation:
8:30am - 4:30pm |
Hours of Operation:
by appointment only
8:30am - 4:30pm
Closed 12:00pm - 1:00pm |
View of the City of Port Alberni from the air (SW)
Rollover image: SIFD and BCTS staff in front of the MoFR office |
indicates that information has been added or modified since October 4, 2007
