ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an assessment of silvicultural investment in British Columbia's (BC) public forestlands. It begins with an overview of the principal institutional features of the silviculture sector, followed by a profile of the Province's silvicultural investments. The chapter discusses the major institutional obstacles to adequate silvicultural investment. It makes recommendations on how to restructure BC's institutional framework to encourage greater efficiency in the choice and carries out manner in which silvicultural activities. The wide scope of silvicultural operations in BC, ranging from seedling production to fertilizing and surveying, is testimony to a transition from old-growth to second-growth harvesting and management. Clearly, BC's forest companies tend to focus on basic silviculture, which is characterized by quick post-harvest planting of desired tree species to achieve rapid full stocking. In assessing the efficiency of BC's silvicultural expenditures, especially in intensive or incremental silviculture, economic theory needs to be brought to bear. The essence of institutional reform in BC's silviculture sector is decentralization.
