VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forestry planning and practices of Interfor Corporation on Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 3, starting Monday, June 9, 2025.
TFL 3 is located within the Selkirk Natural Resource District, about 40 kilometres north of Castlegar, near Slocan. The licence area covers approximately 78,000 hectares of public land, with an annual allowable cut of approximately 80,000 cubic metres, and is managed by Interfor's Castlegar division. Highway 6 runs near the eastern boundary of the licence area and provides access to key portions of the forestry operations.
The audit will examine whether forestry activities carried out between June 1, 2023, and June 13, 2025, comply with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. Activities subject to audit include timber harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, wildfire protection and related operational planning.
TFL 3 lies directly south of Valhalla Park, a 50,000-hectare protected area known for its recreational use and ecological significance. Forests in TFL 3 include a variety of species such as Douglas fir, cedar, larch, lodgepole pine and hemlock at lower elevations and spruce-balsam mixtures at higher elevations. The area spans multiple biogeoclimatic zones, including Interior cedar-hemlock, Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir and
Interior mountain-heather alpine. The audit area lies within the territories of 14 First Nations bands and two First Nations councils.
Once the audit is complete, a report will be prepared. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board's final report and recommendations will be released to the public and provincial government.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.'s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. Auditees are selected using a modified random sampling method without considering past performance or public complaints. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and the appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Tanner Senko
Communications Manager
Forest Practices Board
tanner.senko@bcfpb.ca
Phone: 250-889-8211 / 1 800 994-5899
