As part of the Forest Practices Board’s 2014 compliance audit program, the BC Timber Sales (BCTS)  program and timber sale licence (TSL) holders in the Morice Timber Supply Area (TSA) portion of the BCTS Babine Business Area, in the Nadina District, was randomly selected for audit. The audit assessed all timber harvesting, roads, silviculture, protection activities, and associated planning, carried out by both BCTS and TSL holders over two years, commencing in July 2012.

The Morice TSA is situated on the western edge of British Columbia’s central interior plateau, extending from the most northerly tip of Babine Lake in the north to Ootsa and Whitesail Lakes in the south. During the two-year audit period, BCTS harvested about 667 000 cubic metres of timber, in accordance with their forest stewardship plan.

The audit found that planning and field activities undertaken by BCTS and the TSL holders complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

As part of the Forest Practices Board’s 2013 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Nadina Resource District as the location for an audit. Within the district, the Board selected non-replaceable forest licence (NRFL) A72921, held by 639881 BC Ltd., owned by Wet’suwet’en First Nation. The audit assessed all timber harvesting, roads, silviculture, protection activities, and associated planning, carried out between September 2011 and October 2013.

639881 BC Ltd. conducted its operations within a 50-kilometre radius of the community of Burns Lake. During the two-year audit period, the licensee harvested approximately 121 704 cubic metres of timber, primarily to salvage trees killed by mountain pine beetle.

The audit found that planning and field activities undertaken by 639881 BC Ltd. complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, with one exception, a significant non-compliance related to the control of invasive plants.

The audit also found an unsound forest practice pertaining to soil disturbance and an area of improvement related to annual reporting to the government.

The audit found that fire protection activities undertaken by 639881 BC Ltd. failed to comply with the Wildfire Act and related regulations, and in particular with requirements to assess and abate fire hazards following harvesting.

As part of the Forest Practices Board’s 2013 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Nadina Resource District as the location for an audit. Within the district, the Board selected non-replaceable forest licence (NRFL) A66762, held by Burns Lake Specialty Wood Ltd. The audit assessed all timber harvesting, roads, silviculture, protection activities, and associated planning, carried out between September 2011 and October 2013.

Burns Lake Specialty Wood conducted its operations within a 50-kilometre radius of the community of Burns Lake. During the two-year audit period, the licensee harvested approximately 90 682 cubic metres of timber, primarily to salvage trees killed by mountain pine beetle.

The audit found that planning and field activities undertaken by Burns Lake Specialty Wood complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, with two exceptions:

1. A significant non-compliance related to planting appropriate seedlings.
2. A significant non-compliance related to the control of invasive plants.

The audit found that fire protection activities undertaken by Burns Lake Specialty Wood Ltd. failed to comply with the Wildfire Act and related regulations, and in particular with requirements to assess and abate fire hazards following harvesting.

In September 2011, the Board conducted a full-scope compliance audit of forest planning and practices on Babine Forest Products’ (BFP) Forest Licence A16823. This is the first time this forest licence has been audited by the Board. The audit assessed over 80 cutblocks and close to 300 kilometres of road activities and obligations, as well as operational planning, and found that BFP complied with the legislated requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, as well as the Lakes District Land and Resource Management Plan and the Lakes North Sustainable Resource Management Plan.