A Future for Community Watersheds? British Columbia’s New Forest Landscape Planning Process and the Peachland Creek Community Watershed

Abstract

This paper explores the possible impact on community watersheds of recent innovations by the province of British Columbia in the forestry sector. Using the Peachland Creek watershed in the province’s Okanagan region as a case study example, this study focuses on the transition from Forest Stewardship Plans (FSPs) to Forest Landscape Plans (FLPs), drawing on both primary (interviews, focus groups) and secondary (legislation, policy, reports) data analysis to discuss the potential impacts of this current regulatory transition. While structural and legislative barriers persist, threatening the ecological sustainability and water security of our community watersheds, the Peachland case study offers some optimism for how this adapted framework may serve to catalyze more integrated and regionally appropriate watershed decision-making.