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In 2024, the Board received a complaint about harvesting in the Lemieux and Gardner Creek watersheds, near the community of Quick, 30 kilometres southeast of Smithers. The complainant was concerned that licensees did not properly consult residents prior to logging, and over-harvesting resulted in creeks and wells going dry, affecting people downstream.
Three licensees were party to this investigation: BC Timber Sales (BCTS), Kyah Development Corporation (KDC), and the holder of woodlot licence W0104.
The Board considered whether the licensees complied with legal requirements for managing water and conducting public consultation for their forest operations by assessing for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act, Forest Planning and Practices Regulation, and Woodlot Licence Planning and Practices Regulation (WLPPR).
Water Management
BCTS and KDC complied with the legal requirements for managing water. Riparian management areas were also consistent with their respective forest stewardship plans.
The holder of W0104 failed to maintain natural surface drainage patterns after road building (WLPPR s.28) and could not demonstrate that it ensured its roads and drainage structures were not adversely affecting forest resources (WLPPR s.70[a]).
Public Consultation
All three licensees complied with the legal requirements for public consultation. BCTS and KDC also voluntarily shared operational planning information with stakeholders.
While licensees met the legal requirements for public consultation, residents’ concerns about hydrologic changes within the watersheds were largely unknown until this investigation began.
The two watersheds have experienced significant disturbances from logging, private land use and climate change, which all put stress on water resources. The Board expects these stressors will continue affecting the duration and timing of low water flows.
There is currently no plan or authority in place to address the cumulative effects on water in the Lemieux Creek and Gardner Creek watersheds. A more wholistic approach to watershed management would help conserve, and even restore, water values in BC.
The Lemieux and Gardner Creek watersheds are within the territories of the Witset First Nation, the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, and the Office of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. The Board recognizes the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ historical relationship with the land, which continues today.
