VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board has postponed its audits planned for the southern and central Interior of British Columbia, due to the current forest fire situation.
An audit of forest licence A18700 near Lillooet was scheduled to start today, but will not proceed at this time. Another audit in the Quesnel area has also been delayed.
“Forest company staff are focused on assisting with the firefighting effort and most helicopter services are currently devoted to the fires,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “We don’t want to divert any attention or resources away from the fires and so we have decided to wait until the situation has improved before undertaking any audit field work in the affected parts of the province.”
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.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement. Each summer the Board carries out 10 to 12 audits of forest and range operations throughout B.C.
Contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of 0866740 B.C. Ltd., held by Aspen Planers Ltd., on forest licence A18700 during the week of July 10, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between July 2015 and July 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
0866740 B.C. Ltd. is in the Cascades Natural Resource District. The area of the audit is located west of Lillooet and includes Carpenter Lake and Bridge River. Some of the surrounding communities are Bralorne and Gold Bridge.
Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and 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.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Winton Global Lumber Ltd. on forest licence A18171, in the Fort St. James Natural Resource District, during the week of June 19, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between June 2015 and June 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Winton Global Lumber Ltd.'s forestry activities are located around Fort St. James. Harvesting has focused on salvaging timber damaged by the mountain pine beetle.
Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board's final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and 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.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Kairry Nguyen
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1-800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales (BCTS) program and timber sale licence holders in the Skeena-Stikine Natural Resource District portion of the Babine Business Area from June 5 to 9.
Auditors will examine harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, fire protection, and associated planning for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act
and the Wildfire Act.
The audit includes all forestry activity from June 2015 to June 2017. The audit area is located within the Bulkley Timber Supply Area, which is located in northwestern BC and covers about
760 000 hectares. The area includes the communities of Smithers, Telkwa, Moricetown and Fort Babine.
This BCTS business area was chosen randomly for audit from among all the BCTS business areas in the province. The board audits two BCTS business areas each year.
Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared and 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 then be released to the public and 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.
The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices
and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales (BCTS) program and timber sale licence holders in the South Island Natural Resource District portion of the Strait of Georgia Business Area from May 29 to June 2.
Auditors will examine harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, fire protection activities and associated planning for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire
Act.
The audit includes all forestry activities carried out from June 2015 to June 2017. The audit area includes the communities of Port Alberni, Port Renfrew and Lake Cowichan. There are also
some operations near Bowser on the east side of Vancouver Island.
This BCTS program was chosen randomly for audit from among all the BCTS programs in the province. The board normally audits two BCTS programs each year.
Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared and 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 then be released to the public and 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.
The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices
and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of two range agreements for grazing cattle in the Thompson River Natural Resource District found that the rancher met most requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, but the presence of cattle feces in a stream diverted for drinking water did not comply with the legislation, according to a report released today.
“Auditors found that the rancher did not ensure the protection of water that is diverted for human consumption,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “Cattle were defecating in a stream that is used by one household to supply drinking water.”
“Auditors also found that the rancher’s cattle had impacted stream beds and stream banks at one location near a water dugout, and another stream-side area was at risk of being damaged by cattle,” Ryan added. “These areas were small and did not cause any significant impacts, but the practices should be improved in the future.”
These overlapping range-agreement areas are held by one rancher and are located northwest of Chase. Auditors’ work involved interviewing the range agreement holder as well as ministry staff, reviewing the range use plan and maps, and examining the majority of activities undertaken in the field within the two-year audit period of September 2014 to September 2016.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The holders of two range agreements for grazing cattle in the Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District generally met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, according to a report released today.
“The Board is pleased to see these ranchers are meeting the majority of legislative requirements,” said board chair, Tim Ryan. “However, our auditors found that one rancher had not turned any cattle out on its tenure in 2016, and the other rancher did not have the approved number of cattle grazing its tenure throughout 2016. Neither rancher had documented the adjustment to their grazing schedule to account for these changes, which is a requirement.”
“The auditors also found that one of the rancher’s cattle had impacted stream beds and stream banks in one small area, and some other stream-side areas on that same tenure were at risk of damage from cattle,” said Ryan.
“We determined these issues did not have any significant impacts, but the practices should be improved in the future,” Ryan added.
One of the range-agreement areas is located northeast of Barriere, and the other is located north of Kamloops, in the Jamieson Creek drainage.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Kairry Nguyen
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of forest licence A16884, held by Canada Resurgence Developments Ltd. (CRD), found most forestry activities complied with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, but found two activities did not meet legal requirements, according to a report released today.
“Our auditors found that CRD did not ensure that two log stringer bridges were safe for industrial users, which does not comply with the legal requirements,” said board chair, Tim Ryan.
“CRD’s silviculture records for some of the free-growing cutblocks were missing, and the auditors were unable to confirm that free-growing obligations were met for those cutblocks,” said Ryan. “This also does not comply with the legal requirements.”
The operating area for FL A16884 lies within the Nass Timber Supply Area (TSA), near Meziadin Lake and Bowser Lake along Hwy 37. CRD harvested approximately 142 930 cubic metres of timber during the two-year audit period.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of Norbord Inc.’s activities on non-replaceable Forest Licences A81942 and A84952, located in the 100 Mile House Natural Resource District, found compliance with almost all of the requirements of B.C’s forestry legislation, according to a report released today.
“Our auditors found that Norbord met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and most of the requirements of the Wildfire Act,” said vice chair, Dr. Bill McGill. “Auditors noted that information was missing from fire hazard assessments and that they were not completed on time. However, Norbord abated fire hazards in an effective and timely manner and has since updated its fire hazard assessment forms to include all required information.”
“Our auditors noted that Norbord did a good job of protecting moose wetlands with riparian reserves and wildlife tree retention areas. Norbord also retained deciduous, Douglas-fir and immature trees within cutblocks to provide structural diversity,” said McGill.
The audit area is located in south-central B.C. and includes the communities of 100 Mile House and Clinton. All activities carried out between Oct. 1, 2014, and Oct. 21, 2016, were subject to audit, including harvesting, roads, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of Husby Forest Products Ltd.’s activities on Forest Licence A16869, in the Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District, found compliance with almost all of the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, according to a report released today.
“Our auditors found that Husby complied with most requirements of the legislation, but found fire-hazard assessments were not completed on time,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “However, Husby had abated fire hazards in an effective and timely manner and now has a system in place to conduct hazard assessments in the future.”
“Auditors also noted that Husby located, marked and mapped culturally significant features in its planning, such as yew, crabapple and monumental cedar trees, to protect them. Husby also covers all road approaches to fish stream crossings with gravel and shot rock to prevent sediment from getting into the streams”, said Ryan. “These are good practices in a challenging operating area.”
The audit area is located north of Masset Inlet in the Collison Point and Eden Lake areas. All forestry activities carried out between Aug 1, 2014, and Aug. 23, 2016, were subject to audit, including harvesting, roads, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
