The following resources can help you plan or carry out your restoration project:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC)
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cdc/index.htm
This site provides a gateway to the resources of the Conservation Data Centre. The CDC collects and disseminates information on rare and / or endangered plants, animals and plant communities of B.C.

B.C. Government Publications List
http://www.publications.gov.bc.ca
All government publications can be purchased through this site. Look under various ministries to see what is available.

Ecosystems Branch
This Branch of the Ministry of Environment is the steward of ecosystem restoration information and strategies. The Branch has various publications and reports, including strategies for invasive species management, and a report on effectiveness monitoring for ecosystem restoration.

Biodiversity Guidebook http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/fpc/fpcguide/biodiv/biotoc.htm
This early Forest Practices Code guidebook gives a solid overview of current conservation biology concepts for managing biodiversity.

Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification
http://www.growingtogether.ca/maps/e_biogeo/biogeo.htm http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hre/becweb/index.htm
This important classification system describes ecosystems in BC, and provides a framework for ecosystem management and restoration decisions. The first website listed gives descriptions and a map of the BEC zones in BC, and the second site listed describes how the BEC system works. BC is comprised of 14 zones (and 94 sub-zones), based on similar climate and vegetation types. Regional subzone maps at a 1:250,000 scale are available through the Ministry of Forests. More detailed information about the zones, sub-zones and site-series are available in the Land Management Handbook Series of publications from Ministry of Forests. These handbooks give invaluable information about local plant communities and ecologically appropriate vegetation. You can purchase, download, or learn more about the appropriate handbook for your area at one of the following links, or do a search using the Publications Index www.publications.gov.bc.ca:

BEC Site Series Guides for British Columbia (Land Management Handbooks):
Vancouver Forest Region
Nelson Forest Region
Kamloops Forest Region
Cariboo Forest Region
Prince Rupert Forest Region
Prince George Forest Region, Southwest Forest Region
Prince George Forest Region, Nothern Rockies Region

Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA)
http://www.clra.ca
This site provides information about the CLRA, a national organization dedicated to the reclamation and rehabilitation of disturbed lands and waterways.

Clover Point Cartographics
http://www.cloverpoint.com Phone: (250) 384-3537.
This company is the official supplier of Forest Cover maps for the province. These maps describe the distribution of dominant tree species and age classes at a 1:20,000 scale, and are useful for restoration planning.

Crown Publications Inc.
http://www.crownpub.bc.ca
This site provides information on obtaining most government publications including the Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification field guides, the forest practices code guidebooks and some maps such as Forest Cover maps.

Ducks Unlimited (DU)
http://www.ducks.ca
DU is involved in lots of wetlands restoration projects in the Interior, with spillover into dry land areas. Their Kamloops office staff ((250) 374-8307) are knowledgeable about Interior restoration issues.

Effectiveness Monitoring
An excellent resource on effectiveness monitoring (Machmer and Steeger, 2002) is available through the Ecosystems Branch, Ministry of Environment. The exact address was unavailable at the time of writing, but this document will be online through the Ecosystems Branch site on the Ministry web-page: http://www.gov.bc.ca/env/

Forestry Continuing Studies Network
http://www.fcsn.bc.ca
The FCSN offers basic forestry courses and some courses related to restoration, including courses on bioengineering.

Geological Survey of Canada
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/gsc/index_e.html
A branch of Natural Resources Canada, the Geological survey can provide geology, soils, and landforms maps.

Grasslands Conservation Council
http://www.bcgrasslands.org
This site provides information on grasslands and grassland restoration and protection as well as information on various grasslands programs and an annual symposium on various aspects of grassland management.

Government Agents
http://www.governmentagents.gov.bc.ca/
Provincial resources and services are available through your government agent, including land title searches, government publications, and maps. Your government agent should be able to answer questions about accessing government resources.

Landdata BC (map and air photo sales) http://ldbcweb.landdata.gov.bc.ca:8001
This site provides access to map and air photo sales, and is the commercial arm of the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management.

Media Guide
http://www.gov.bc.ca/mediaguide.html
An information site maintained by the Province, the Media Guide gives information on all the print and online media outlets in the province.

Ministry of Forests
http://www.gov.bc.ca/for/
The MoF web site has online resources and downloadable publications including the Forest Practices Code guidebooks and the Land Management Handbook series.

Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
http://www.gov.bc.ca/srm/
This Ministry is responsible for land use and permitting, and for provincial inventories and mapping.

Ministry of Environment
http://www.gov.bc.ca/env
This Ministry is responsible for environmental protection of air, water and land quality, and environmental stewardship of biodiversity. The Ecosystems Branch within the Ministry includes ecological restoration within its purview.

Natural Resources Information Network
http://www.nrin.siferp.org
This site provides access to an online library network of ecosystem management and restoration resources for BC. A key-word search will reveal publications of interest to your restoration project.

Natural Resources Canada
http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/inter/index_e.html
This federal department can provide resources such as soils, geologic and topographic maps, and air photos.

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)
http://www.natureconservancy.ca
The NCC is a conservation organization that works to preserve important ecosystems, and to restore these ecosystems where they have been degraded. The NCC may also be able to help you provide stewardship options to private landowners.

Pacific Streamkeepers Federation
http://www.pskf.ca
The Pacific Streamkeepers are dedicated to helping streamkeepers take action through support, education, and building partnerships. The Federation works together with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to provide the Streamkeepers program (see below).

Prescribed Burning
Information on the Forest Fire Prevention Regulations that cover the execution of prescribed burns can be found at the following web site:
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/fpc/fpcaregs/FFIREPRE/FFPASR.HTM. Burn Plan details are on the MOF Protection Branch's website: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/burning/planning.htm. Information on complying with the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation is at the following web site: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/air/particulates/agttobsc.html. In order to carry out a prescribed burn, you will require approval of your burn plan (Ministry of Forests) and compliance with the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation (Ministry of Environment). On Crown land you will likely also require additional approval under the Forest Practices Code (Ministry of Forests). Generally, restoration burning is carried out with the assistance of the Ministry of Forests, due to the technical requirements and the potential liability if things go wrong.

Professionals and Specialists
Outside expertise is often needed for assessing a site and developing restoration prescriptions. If you need to hire a biologist, forester, hydrologist or other expert, local government agency staff or other restoration groups may be able to offer recommendations. Alternatively, the Society for Ecological Restoration, BC Chapter, http://www.serbc.org should be able to provide names of suitable professionals. If you are working in Crown forest, you may be required to have a professional forester's advice on your restoration prescriptions.

Resources Information Standards Committee
http://ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/risc/
This committee provides standards for data collection for various types of inventories.

Restoration of Natural Systems, University of Victoria (UVic RNS) http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/restore
The UVic RNS program offers on and off campus courses on all aspects of restoration. All of the courses are open to anyone, and include field tours, short courses, and distance education.

Rocky Mountain Research Station of the US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/aspen and http://www.fs.fed.us/rm
The aspen site has a comprehensive list of publications on aspen restoration in grassland-forest transition areas of U.S. while the general site has a lot of interesting materials that have been generated at the Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
http://www.ser.org
This is the site of the international SER and lists a wide variety of information useful for restoration projects, including "Guidelines for Developing and Managing Ecological Restoration Projects", and conference and workshop information.

Society for Ecological Restoration (SER-BC), B.C. Chapter http://www.serbc.org
This is the link to the B.C. Chapter of the SER. It provides contact names for board members and can serve as a useful way of contacting people involved in restoration in the province.

Soil Rehabilitation Guidebook http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/fpc/FPCGUIDE/soilreha/rehabtoc.htm
This Forest Practices Code Guidebook provides guidance on soil rehabilitation planning and techniques.

Southern Interior Forestry Extension and Research Partnership http://www.siferp.org
This web-site provides access to current resource management and restoration information and events, and provides access to an online library network (Natural Resources Information Network - NRIN). NRIN (http://www.nrin.siferp.org) provides access to publications from a number of sources that relate to ecosystem management and restoration in BC. A key-word search will reveal documents of interest to your restoration project.

The Streamkeepers Handbook
http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca
This guide to local stream stewardship and restoration is invaluable to community groups throughout BC and the Yukon. It has 14 step-by-step modules for stream restoration. You can download or order a printed copy through the Stewardship Centre (www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca).

The Stewardship Centre
http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca
The Centre provides encouragement, information, and guidance on managing for conservation values. The site contains excellent resources, including the Stewardship Series, and is a good place to search for information.

The Stewardship Centre Funders Guide
http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca
You can search for funders using this resource found at the Stewardship Centre website.

The Stewardship Series (various eds.)
available through http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca:
Stream Stewardship: A guide for planners and developers
Community Greenways: Linking communities to country and people to nature
Watershed Stewardship: A guide for agriculture
Access Near Aquatic Areas: A guide to sensitive planning, design and management
Community Stewardship: A guide to establishing your own group
Fish Habitat Enhancement: A manual for freshwater estuary and marine habitats
Landowner Contact Guide for British Columbia
Stewardship Bylaws: A guide for local government
Stewardship Options: For private landowners in BC
Streamkeepers Handbook: A practical guide to stream and wetland care
Naturescape British Columbia: Caring for wildlife habitat at home
Naturescape: Resource booklet, Georgia Basin
Water Stewardship: A guide for teachers, students and community groups
Wetlandkeepers: A practical guide to wetland care
Land Development Guidelines: For the protection of aquatic habitat
1994 Proceedings Revisiting the Land Ethic - Caring for the Land
Living Legacies: A guide to conservation giving in BC

Strategic Ecological Restoration Assessments. Terrestrial ecological restoration priorities were developed for each of the six forest regions of the Province in 2001. These assessments of restoration needs are based on the current extent of deviation from the natural range of variability in each of the BEC subzones. These reports are available online from the Ecosystems Branch of the Ministry of Environment (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/fia/habitat_restoration.html).

The Land Conservancy (TLC)
http://www.conservancy.bc.ca/
The TLC works to protect areas needed for natural communities, through purchase, lease or conservation covenants.

Wetlandkeepers Handbook
http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca
This handbook from the Stewardship Series offers a wetland ecology overview, extensive information on laws and rights regarding wetland conservation, and 5 activity modules with step-by-step procedures for restoration and stewardship.