VICTORIA – An investigation of timber harvesting within mountain caribou habitat near Blue River found that all licensees have met or exceeded the legal requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and a legal order that applies to the area.
“We were pleased to find that the forestry, hydroelectric and adventure tourism industries all complied with requirements to protect caribou habitat,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “However, we were unable to comment on whether the legal requirements will benefit caribou populations in the long term because government’s effectiveness monitoring work is not yet far enough along.”
“There is some urgency in gaining a better understanding of whether the type and distribution of habitat will be effective for long-term caribou recovery,” said Ryan. “The board encourages government to place a high priority on developing and implementing its effectiveness monitoring initiatives.”
As part of its Mountain Caribou Recovery Implementation Plan, the B.C. government has issued nine legal orders for more than two million hectares of Crown land, which contain special restrictions for industrial and commercial recreational activities to protect mountain caribou habitat.
The board investigation examined one of the order areas –– Ungulate Winter Range Order U-3-004 –– and included all harvesting, road-building, heli-landing construction and other minor activities carried out between February 2009 and October 2014.
This area is used by the Wells Gray South and Groundhog caribou herds, both of which had more than a 60% decline in mature animals since 1995, and are now estimated at fewer than 150 animals. The population is projected to decline at least 40% within the next five years.
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 can investigate and report on current forestry and range issues and make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced today that Dr. William B. McGill and Ralph Archibald have been reappointed to the Forest Practices Board for terms of two years each.
“Bill and Ralph’s contributions and experience have been greatly appreciated by the board,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “I am very pleased to have them continue on the board team.”
McGill, vice-chair, P. Ag., a professor of ecosystem science and management at the University of Northern B.C., has over 40 years of academic experience, including 23 years of leadership as department chair, associate dean and dean. In addition, he is a founding board member of the Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society, the vice chair of the Resources North Association, and vice president of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce.
Archibald, a retired biologist, has 40 years of experience in the natural resource sector, starting as a research assistant in his native Ontario before moving to B.C. in 1981 to work with the province’s environment and forest ministries. He held progressively more senior positions in both ministries before retiring as assistant deputy minister of environmental stewardship, Ministry of Environment, in 2010.
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 and appropriateness of government enforcement on public lands, investigates public complaints and current forestry issues, participates in administrative appeals and makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of forest licence A70026, held by Lowell A. Johnson Consultants Ltd., found compliance with B.C.’s forestry legislation, according to a report released today.
Planning and forestry activities on the licence were conducted by Canfor Ltd. on behalf of Lowell A. Johnson.
“We are pleased to see that this licensee carried out good forest practices and fully met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act,” said Tim Ryan, board chair.
Auditors examined operational planning, timber harvesting, road construction, deactivation and maintenance, silviculture and fire protection activities carried out between Oct. 1, 2013, and Oct. 9, 2015. The operations were located south of Chapman Lake, about 35 kilometres east of Smithers.
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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of two non-replaceable forest licences held by Pacific Bioenergy Timber Corp. and RPP Holdings Inc. in the Quesnel district found both companies’ forest planning, fire protection, harvesting and road activities met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act. However, Pacific Bioenergy had an area of improvement involving fire hazard assessment.
Pacific Bioenergy completed fire hazard assessments on two cutblocks following logging operations, but did not conduct assessments on two others. They treated the fire hazard on all four sites by piling and burning slash and debris, so the assessments were noted as an area for improvement.
“We are pleased to find that RPP Holdings followed the requirements of forest practices legislation,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “Pacific Bioenergy did well in the audit too, but needs to ensure fire hazard assessments are completed. The company has advised the board it will be completing hazard assessments in the future.”
Pacific Bioenergy harvested 94,479 cubic metres of timber under non-replaceable forest licence A76553 for use as wood pellets, while RPP Holdings harvested 540,828 cubic metres of timber under non-replaceable forest licence A76729 primarily for sawlogs. Both forest licences are near the Village of Nazko, about 100 km west of Quesnel.
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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Lowell A. Johnson Consultants Ltd. on forest licence A77026 and non-replaceable forest licence A90554, during the week of Oct. 5, 2015.
The auditors will examine all operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture and wildfire protection practices for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Lowell A. Johnson’s forestry activities are located east of Smithers, near Chapman Lake, in the Skeena Stikine forest district. The activities are subject to the requirements of the Bulkley Land and Resources Management Plan – Higher Level Plan Order, which means licensees must comply with government objectives for maintaining biodiversity, enhancing timber supply and providing wildlife habitat to various species such as grizzly bear and caribou.
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 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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of Teal Cedar Products Ltd. in the Chilliwack resource district found that forest planning, silviculture, fire protection, harvesting and road activities have complied with legislation, according to a report released today.
“The audit found that Teal Cedar Products followed the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “We are pleased to find that Teal ensured its activities did not affect drinking water that supplies communities, including Mission and Abbotsford.”
Teal’s operations were located near Pitt Lake, Norrish Creek, the west side of Harrison Lake, Sowaqua Creek (north of Hope) and Mowhokam Creek (north of Boston Bar). The area includes 29 community watersheds, where forestry activities must not affect the quantity or timing of water flow, or affect water quality in a manner that impacts human health.
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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the fire protection activities of oil and gas operators in the Lower Beatton Landscape Unit, in the Peace district, during the week of Sept. 21, 2015, for compliance with the Wildfire Act.
The audit will include whether the operators have completed fire hazard assessments, treated any identified forest fuel hazards, and have sufficient fire suppression tools and water delivery systems on active sites
The audit area covers 500,000 hectares, surrounded by the Halfway River to the west, the Blueberry River to the north, the Peace River to the south and the Alberta border to the east.
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 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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine forest practices on four woodlots in the Selkirk district, during the week of Sept. 21, 2015, for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Auditors will examine all operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture and fire prevention practices. Auditors will also look at how the woodlot licence holders address important local values, such as visual quality along the Highway 3 and 31 corridors and adjacent lakes, outdoor recreation and hunting, as well as wildlife habitat including grizzly bear, mountain goats and caribou.
The Selkirk district was randomly selected for audit, and the board then selected woodlots as the focus of the audit. Two of the four woodlots are located northeast of Creston and two are north of Kaslo.
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 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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the planning and practices on five range agreements for grazing in the Cascades natural resource district, during the week of Sept. 14, 2015.
Auditors will examine range activities for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act. The grazing areas that will be audited range in size from 5 to 5,500 hectares and are located in the Nicola Valley area, close to Highway 5A, between Merritt and Princeton.
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 then will be released to the public and government.
Of the 24 natural resource districts in the province, the Cascades district has the second highest number of allocated animal unit months for grazing and is one of the major grasslands areas of B.C., making it an important area for the cattle industry.
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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence holders (TSL holders) in the Boundary timber supply area has found that forest planning, silviculture, fire protection, harvesting and road activities have complied with forest practices legislation, with one exception, according to a report released today.
Auditors found that one TSL holder failed to maintain natural surface drainage patterns on a road above unstable terrain, which created a risk of landslides and is not in compliance with legislation. All but one TSL holder also failed to formally assess the fire hazard following logging, so this is an area for improvement. BCTS activities complied with forestry legislation.
“Since the audit work was done, the TSL holder has fully decommissioned the road and addressed the surface drainage issues” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “The TSL holders also addressed the fire risk following logging by piling and burning slash and debris.”
BCTS is responsible for operational planning, silviculture, and most road and bridge construction, maintenance and deactivation outside cutblocks. Timber sale licence holders are responsible for harvesting, fire protection, and most road and bridge construction, maintenance and deactivation within cutblocks.
During the one-year audit period, BCTS built five kilometres of road, maintained 1,016 kilometres of road, installed two new bridges and maintained 74 bridges and major structures, while TSL holders constructed 36 kilometres of road, maintained 221 kilometres of road and deactivated 66 kilometres of road. Seven TSL holders harvested a total of 1,213 hectares of timber. The board’s fieldwork took place from May 25 to 28, 2015.
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.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
