Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Objectives and Range Practices under FRPA & Objectives Welcome & Introduction Introduce yourself (if you are a new presenter). Welcome participants to a discussion of range planning under FRPA. Tie into the Previous Topic: You have just learned about Range Planning & Practices legislation. I will now discuss the Range Planning Process. Although legislation always seems like a ball & chain, I do think that the new FRPA will allow for more flexibility in your management on Crown Range. Initially it will take more effort, resources, initiative on the range users part to get there but in the long run it will work better for most tenure holders. The Focus is on Results

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Topics Understanding range objectives and their linkages to range practices Understanding range developments Tie into the Previous Topic: You have just had an introduction to FRPA Range Planning. I will now discuss the objectives set by Government for Range and their linkages to range practices. Each section is divided into two parts: Objective: the objective as stated in the Range Planning & Practices Regulations; and Practices: specific requirements set out in the Act or regulations to support this objective. All range agreement holders must ensure range practices are consistent with all objectives.

Ensuring Consistency of Plans and Practices with Objectives Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Ensuring Consistency of Plans and Practices with Objectives FRPA includes objectives pertaining to range for: Wildlife habitat areas Water Quality Ungulate Winter Range Biodiversity Soils Water Wildlife (includes Species at risk, fisheries and sensitive watersheds, temperature sensitive streams) Forage & Plant Communities Fish The goal of FRPA is to develop a commitment to good management practices among users of Crown range. Operations will be guided by the specific approved range plan strategies and actions, which must ensure consistency with the objectives set by government (OSBG). The Government Actions Regulations defines the process of establishing other objectives and designations such as for Community Watersheds.

Evaluation Tools and Measurements Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Evaluation Tools and Measurements Soils assessments Plant community seral stages . Upland and riparian health Ground cover Range readiness measurements Utilization (stubble heights) Browse use Water temperature and quality These are some of the tools or measurements that may be used to determine success in achieving the objective for the range area under management. These tools may also be used by the tenure holder

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Soils Objectives Minimize sealing of the soil surface Maintain vigorous & diverse plant cover Minimize accelerated erosion Minimize undesirable soil disturbance Maintain ground cover Minimize erosion/ compaction Re-establish suitable vegetation after disturbance Protect soil properties

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Soils Practices Stubble height Rest Turn out Requirement to revegetate exposed soil exposed Stubble height criteria provides for carryover to retain litter to protect the soil surface and catch snow, as well as to provide for suitable habitat and forage for wildlife species. Rest as part of your rotation allows for growth of roots and overall improved plant health Turn out avoids weakening plants and compacting soil Revegetation of exposed soil must be completed within 2 years (Section 41 RPPR)

Forage & Associated Plant Communities Objectives Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Forage & Associated Plant Communities Objectives Maintain or enhance healthy plant communities, including vigor and cover Maintain or enhance forage quality and quantity for livestock and wildlife Recruit desirable plants, including through seeding Maintain variety of age classes and structure within communities Maintain or improve litter Enable range users to be efficient and competitive Appropriate grazing can have positive effects on plant vigor (encourages root and shoot growth) as well as on plant community composition Use must be sustainable

Forage & Associated Plant Communities Practices Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Forage & Associated Plant Communities Practices Timing of grazing Range readiness criteria Schedule allowing rest Intensity of grazing Stubble height and browse level Duration of Grazing Schedule Some of the practices for Forage & Associated Plant Communities include Appropriate animal distribution Proper recovery time between grazing periods

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Water Objectives Maintain or improve water resources Maintain or promote healthy riparian & upland areas Maintain or promote riparian vegetation that provides sufficient shade to maintain stream temperature within the natural range of variability Maintain or promote desired riparian plant communities

Water Practices – Riparian Areas Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Water Practices – Riparian Areas Must ensure the riparian area can: Withstand normal peak flood events without experiencing accelerated soil loss, channel or bank movement Filter runoff Store and safely release water Conserve wildlife habitat values in the area You must ensure that your range practices do not result in a material, adverse affect on the ability of a riparian area to Withstand normal peak flood events without experiencing accelerated soil loss, channel or bank movement; filter runoff, store and safely release water, and to conserve wildlife habitat values in the area Specific practices may include considerations around: Time of use Level of use Maintaining plant community Rest Practices relating to riparian areas also have implications on fish and water quality.

Water Practices – Upland Areas Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Water Practices – Upland Areas Must ensure that there is no: Acceleration in the rate of soil loss Loss of the site ability for water infiltration Reduction in the moisture storage, or Decrease to the stability of the area You must ensure that your range practices on an upland area do not result in a material, adverse affect on the upland through consideration of strategies such as: Timing of use Level of use Maintaining an appropriate healthy plant community Rest

Water Practices – Protection of Water Quality Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Water Practices – Protection of Water Quality A range practice must: Not cause material harmful to human health to be deposited in, or transported to, water diverted for human consumption by a licensed water user Not damage a licensed waterworks or surrounding vegetation, soil or terrain Be consistent with water quality objectives if they exist Other practices: Dead livestock in community watershed must be moved away from the stream (100m) As well, for a community watershed, if water quality objectives are established for an area by WLAP, the range plan holder must ensure the range practice is consistent with the objectives.

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Fish Objectives Conserve fish, fish habitat and aquatic ecosystems Manage adverse effect of deleterious materials There are linkages with objectives for water: healthy riparian and upland areas; water quality; and shade and temperature.

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Fish Practices An agreement holder must ensure that any range practice: Does not cause material that is deleterious to fish or fish habitat to be deposited in, or transported to, fish habitat, and Is conducted at a time and in a manner that will not: Harm fish Impede fish passage, or Destroy, damage or harmfully alter fish habitat

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Wildlife Objectives Maintain or promote sustainable, healthy, productive & diverse wildlife populations Minimize disturbance to wildlife & their habitats during critical periods of use Manage the risk of interaction between predators & livestock Ungulate winter range WHAs for identified wildlife Critical periods of use may include during calving, breeding, nesting, etc. Managing the risk of interaction may include removal of sick or dead livestock from the range, timing for specific areas of use, ensuring no calving on the range, etc. Ministry of Agriculture has produced a BMP on this topic. Ungulate winter range objectives may come into effect summer/fall 2004, which may create a circumstance for a plan amendment WHAs will be made known through the MOF

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Wildlife Practices Ensure Consistency with: stubble height and browse levels Ungulate winter range objectives and constraints General wildlife measures Resource Features and wildlife habitat features Resource features and wildlife habitat features are defined in the Government Actions Regulation. Resource features will be identified by the Ministry of Forests and include features such as interpretive forest sites, recreation trails or features, genetically improtant plants or trees, range developments. Wildlife habitat features will be identified by WLAP and may include fisheries or marine sensitive features, a significant mineral lick or wallow, and eagle/osprey/or heron nest site; or a localized feature identified by WLAP as a wildlife habitat feature. Utilization Criteria If you are using Crown range to graze livestock, you must remove livestock at the earliest of the following: the date published in your range use plan or range stewardship plan, if specified; when the average stubble height is met, if specified in your range use plan or range stewardship plan; or the average browse use levels by livestock is: the percentage of the current annual growth (CAG) specified in the plan or 25% of current annual growth if the plan does not specify an average browse use level. A holder of an agreement under the Range Act who grazes livestock must ensure that the grazing of herbaceous plants within plant communities by livestock does not occur at a rate or to an extent that, if continued, will result in deterioration of the plant communities. Ensure a range practice does not damage or render the feature ineffective

Biodiversity Objectives Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Biodiversity Objectives Conserve biodiversity Maintain native plant communities Encourage development of late seral plant communities or other desired plant communities Maintain plant communities consistent with natural successional stages where forage is seeded on transitory range FRPA definition of biodiversity: “biodiversity means the biological diversity of plants, animals and other living organisms in all their forms and levels of organization including the biological diversity of genes, species and ecosystems.”

Biodiversity Practices Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Biodiversity Practices Preventing spread of invasive plants by maintaining a weed resistant plant community Other measures such as removal of burs, and cleaning machinery Maintain the required plant communities Revegetate disturbed soils As well: Ensure you observe the specified levels of use, grazing schedule, range readiness

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA End of Objectives Section Check for Question

Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Range Developments A structure, excavation or livestock trail An activity designed to: Improve range condition, or Enable more efficient use of rangeland For the purposes of managing rangeland or livestock, a “range development” means: A structure, excavation or livestock trail that is indicated in a range plan as a range development. “Range development” may also mean: an activity that is designed to improve range condition or enable a more efficient use of range land (such as prescribed burning or slashing of young trees). In contrast, a “range practice” means: The grazing of livestock, hay cutting or activities related to grazing or hay cutting that are carried out on Crown range or activities relating to the construction, modifying or maintaining of a Range Development by a range agreement holder. Range Developments are very similar to the requirements under the Forest Practices Code.

Range Development Authorization Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Range Development Authorization You must get authorization before you: Carry out, construct, modify, or remove, damage or destroy a range development on Crown range Store hay The minister will consider the following questions in approving range developments: Is the activity consistent with range plan? Is the activity consistent with government objectives? Will the activity adequately protect and conserve the range resource? The minister may impose conditions for Authorization (including a security deposit).

Authorization of Range Developments Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Authorization of Range Developments Must submit the proposal to the Minister The Minister may require that the proposal be made available for review The Minister may require security The Minister may impose conditions The minister may require you to submit the matter for review prior to Authorization. The steps in this process are: Submit a copy of the proposal to the Minister (district manager), and go through a review and comment process similar to what is used for range plans.  The minister may decide to refer the proposal to another person or agency (e.g. a licenced agrologist or WLAP official) for further input  Review any comments received from the public or the referral and incorporate appropriate changes into the proposal  Provide copies of comments to the district manager, along with a summary of revisions made to the proposal in response to comments. The minister may approve the range development after reviewing the proposal and any revisions made through review or referral periods. Advertising is not required unless the minister specifically requests it. The minister may impose conditions. The minister may require security in the form of a bond.

Range Development Maintenance Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Range Development Maintenance You are responsible for maintenance unless: Minister waives requirement or order removal of development Minister can grant exemptions: Another person obtains authorization Another person is required Another person enters into agreement Not in public interest to maintain If a person does not hold a Range Act agreement, they must obtain the minister’s Authorization before performing maintenance on a range development on Crown land. You are responsible for ensuring that any range developments on areas for which you hold a range plan are maintained, unless the minister waives this requirement, or orders you to remove the range development. The minister can exempt you from maintenance requirements if: another person has obtained the authorization from the minister under section 51 (2) of the Act to maintain the range development, another person is required to maintain the range development, another person has entered into an agreement with an official designated by the minister to develop, maintain or remove a range development (referred to in section 118 (2) (a.1) of the Act), or the minister determines that it is not in the public interest to maintain the range development.

Range Developments & Exposed Soil Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Range Developments & Exposed Soil Must ensure any exposed soil is re-vegetated within 2 years Ecologically suitable species A person who constructs a range development, as part of the construction, must ensure that any exposed soil that will support vegetation on the area is revegetated within 2 years of finishing the construction with ecologically suitable species that in the minister’s opinion will grow to maturity in the area. The minister may exempt a person from the requirements of subsection (1) if the minister is of the opinion that not ensuring that the area is revegetated is consistent with the objective set by government for soils specified in section 6 (2).

Working without Authorization Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Working without Authorization If working without authorization Minister may issue order to: Remove or destroy the stored hay or the range development Restore the land under the stored hay or range development, or both, or Repair or rehabilitate the range development .

Developments no longer required Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Developments no longer required If range development is no longer needed, or is not effective, you may be required to: Remove it Rehabilitate the affected areas .

End of Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Presentation Speaker Notes: Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA End of Objectives & Range Practices Under FRPA Presentation Range Planning & Practices Workshop Tie into the Next Topic: