VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales (BCTS) program in the Boundary Timber Supply Area, during the week of May 25, 2015.
The auditors will examine harvesting, silviculture, wildfire protection, road and bridge construction, maintenance and deactivation and operational planning carried out by BCTS and timber sale licence holders.
The audit area is over 659, 000 hectares and includes the communities of Rock Creek, Greenwood, Midway, Grand Forks and Christina Lake, the Kettle and Granby Rivers, and Granby and Gladstone provincial parks.
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: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of the BC Timber Sales program and 18 timber sale licensees in the Chilliwack Natural Resource District found that BCTS and several timber sale licensees did not comply with provincial forestry legislation related to protecting scenic areas and ensuring proper bridge and culvert construction, according to a report released today. A number of poor practices were also identified in the audit.
BCTS’s planning of a cutblock beside the Hope slide on the Crowsnest Highway did not ensure the harvesting maintained the visual quality of the scenic area. One timber sale licence holder installed an unsafe bridge, while another failed to properly install culverts, impacting a fish stream. These practices did not comply with the Forest and Range Practices Act.
The audit also found a third licensee carried out poor practices that technically complied with legislation, but did not protect streams. As well, on four out of nine active harvesting operations, licensees did not have adequate fire prevention equipment onsite. These are poor practices that require improvement.
“As we are approaching what looks like another potentially serious forest fire season, the board reminds all forestry operators of the importance of having the required firefighting equipment on active work sites,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “We are also concerned that we continue to see unsafe bridges showing up in our audits, despite last year’s major investigation and report on this issue. And the failure to properly protect fish streams is also disappointing.”
The board is aware that the BCTS program in this district is working hard to bring its activities and its timber sale licensees’ activities into full compliance with legislation.
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– In a new report on the state of access management, the Forest Practices Board estimates that B.C. now has over 600,000 kilometres of resource roads and concludes that the provincial government’s information about and management of these roads remains inadequate.
“It is extremely difficult for the public and other users of resource roads to have any reliable idea of where roads are and whether they are accessible or safe for travel,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “Resource roads are a multi-billion dollar public asset and a liability. Government is not managing them to ensure we maximize the positive benefits of public investment in road development and minimize the negative impacts roads can have.”
The report identifies three key areas of concern; inventory, strategic management and operational issues. Three quarters of the existing roads in the province were built by the forest industry, with the oil and gas and mining industries responsible for most of the rest. Much of this resource road network is not useable for industrial purposes and is in some state of deactivation. However many of these roads still present risks to the environment, fish and wildlife, and provide unintended public access in some areas.
The report makes a number of recommendations to government, including:
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 – The holders of three cattle grazing and one hay cutting licence met the requirements of the provincial Forest and Range Practices Act, according to an audit report released today.
“The board is pleased to see these range tenure holders doing a good job of managing their tenures and ensuring their cattle can graze on public land without causing negative environmental impacts,” said board chair, Tim Ryan.
The audit looked at cattle grazing activities on three grazing tenures about 20 kilometres northeast of 100 Mile House, south of Canim Lake. A hay cutting tenure was also included in the audit, but hay had not been cut in recent years.
The audit found that cattle were kept in designated pastures, so that grasses had appropriate opportunity to recover after grazing. Riparian areas near streams were protected from trampling and forage and browse were not over-grazed. Licensed waterworks were protected and fences and other range developments were maintained as required.
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.
Kairry Nguyen
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of BC Timber Sales and timber sale licensees in the Morice timber supply area portion of the Nadina Resource District found that forest planning, silviculture, fire protection, harvesting and road activities complied with legislation, according to a report released today.
“The audit found that BCTS and its timber sale licence holders 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 BCTS did a good job of meeting legislative requirements.”
During the two-year audit period, BCTS harvested about 667,000 cubic metres of timber, of which two-thirds was pine affected by mountain pine beetles.
The Morice TSA is situated on the western edge of the central interior plateau, extending from Babine Lake south to Ootsa and Whitesail Lakes. The area contains cultural and heritage values important to the eight First Nations with traditional territories in the TSA. It is also important for mining, ranching, outdoor recreation and tourism, creating many challenges for BCTS and timber sale licence holders to address during forestry operations.
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:
Kairry Nguyen
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An investigation of how well forestry operators maintain natural range barriers has found room for improvements, according to a report released today.
The board concludes that forestry operators and ranchers need to work co-operatively where forest and range tenures exist on the same land base.
Standing timber can act as a natural barrier that keeps cattle on public land from grazing where they should not, such as in another rancher’s pasture. When those trees are harvested by forest companies, the companies are required to mitigate any impacts to the natural barriers – often by installing fencing or creating other physical barriers to cattle. The Forest Practices Board examined 56 forestry plans and looked at 10 case studies to see how well natural range barriers are being managed.
“Our investigation found that overall, forestry plans are not clearly stating how forest companies will protect range barriers and that ranchers and forest companies need to improve co-ordination of their activities and interests,” said board chair Tim Ryan.
“By identifying and agreeing on where these natural barriers exist and how any impacts from timber harvesting will be addressed, more effective stewardship of the land will result. Ultimately, effective mitigation of impacts on timbered range barriers requires open communication and respect for each other’s tenured rights,” Ryan said.
The board makes several recommendations to government and suggests ways the two industries can be proactive and communicate better.
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.
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of forestry activities on four woodlots near Clearwater, B.C., concludes the woodlot owners complied with B.C.’s forestry legislation, according to a report released today.
“These woodlots are a mix of Crown and private-owned land and the woodlot owners must comply with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act in carrying out their activities,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “We are pleased to see that all of them demonstrated their commitment to sound forest management.”
The woodlots are located east of Clearwater, near the North Thompson River and southeast of Clearwater near Adams Lake.
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.
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of TimberWest’s operations in Tree Farm Licence 47, near Campbell River, found legal compliance with B.C.’s forestry legislation, as well as the South Central Coast Order and the Vancouver Island Land Use Plan Higher Level Plan Order, according to a report released today.
“The audit identified an area of improvement related to assessing wildfire hazards,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “Similar to findings in a number of recent audits, TimberWest did not formally assess and document wildfire hazards following logging. However, they did remove all hazards as part of their standard practice of piling and burning slash, and are now working with the Coastal Fire Centre in government to develop a fuel management plan.”
TimberWest’s operating area is north of Campbell River, along Johnstone Strait, and southeast of Port McNeill on Vancouver Island. The area includes the southernmost portions of the Great Bear Rainforest.
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.
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – A report released today concludes that a numbered company owned by the Wet’suwet’en First Nation complied with most, but not all, requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, and failed to comply with Wildfire Act requirements to assess and reduce fire hazards after logging.
The audit examined forest planning and practices carried out between September 2011 and October 2013, near Burns Lake, by 639881 BC Ltd. The company harvested 86,000 cubic metres of timber from eight cutblocks. Problems found include planting the incorrect type of tree seedlings in some locations, failing to carry out commitments to prevent the spread of invasive plants, causing excessive soil disturbance during harvesting, and failing to assess and remove slash and debris that pose fire hazards.
“This is the second audit in this district that found a company did not meet its obligations to assess and reduce fire hazards under the Wildfire Act,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “It’s also the second company to not fully meet requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act.”
“As we said previously, all forest licence holders have obligations to comply with provincial forestry legislation. Failure to do so will have an impact on the public’s trust that B.C. forests are being managed responsibly,” Ryan added.
The board acknowledges that the company is now under new management and is requesting that it report to the board by the end of February on the completion of the outstanding obligations and on other actions taken to address the issues identified in the audit.
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.
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of forest planning, harvesting and road practices of Lil'wat Forestry Ventures on forest licence A83925 and Lil'wat Construction Enterprises on non-replaceable forest licence A82250, found that all activities met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, according to a report released today.
“Lil’Wat’s timber harvesting, road construction and maintenance, and silviculture activities were all in compliance with legislation, including requirements to address visual quality and spotted owl habitat,” said board chair, Tim Ryan. “The audit did find one area of improvement related to Wildfire Act requirements to conduct fire hazard assessments after harvesting. Even though formal assessments were not done, all fire hazards were abated by piling and burning debris.”
The two forest licences have operating areas around Pemberton and Mt. Currie. As part of the Forest Practices Board’s 2014 compliance audit program, the board randomly selected the Sea to Sky Resource District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the board selected these forest licences for the audit.
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.
Kairry Nguyen
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1 800 994-5899
