VICTORIA –The Forest Practices Board released its 2013-14 annual report today, which summarizes the board’s work over the past year, as well as highlights work currently underway.
“Board audits continue to find consistent compliance with forest practices law by major licensees,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “But there are lingering areas of improvement that require attention, such as roads and bridges. As well, smaller licensees tend to have more compliance problems.”
The board completed 8 reports on current forestry issues, 12 audits of forestry and range operations, 6 investigations of public complaints and responded to 73 concerns from the public.
“During the last year, the Board prepared a special report on the 10-year old Forest and Range Practices Act and published several special reports on topics such as salvage harvesting of beetle-killed forests in the interior and bridge construction on forestry roads,” said Ryan.
“We are pleased with the responses to our reports over the past year and the efforts government and industry have made to respond to the concerns we raised, particularly in our report on forest road bridges. Our annual report highlights several cases where our work led directly to improvements in forest practices and communication with the public.”
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.
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Lil’wat Forestry Ventures and Lil’wat Construction Enterprises on forest licences A83925 and A82250, during the week of Sept. 2, 2014.
The audit will examine timber harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, maintenance and deactivation, as well as operational planning for compliance with forest practices legislation.
The companies’ forestry activities are near Mt. Currie, Birken and Lillooet Lake, in the Sea to Sky resource district.
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.
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The board will audit the forest practices of the Terrace Community Forest Limited Partnership on Community Forest Agreement K1X, starting Monday, Aug. 25.
The Community Forest consists of three operating areas, one north, one west and one south of the city. The audit will examine operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire preparedness and fire hazard abatement for compliance with forest practices legislation.
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.
Community forests are area-based tenures granted by the Province to foster local control over, and enjoyment of, the benefits offered by local forest resources in these communities.
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.
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of TimberWest Forest Corporation on Tree Farm Licence 47 (TFL 47) during the week of Aug. 18, 2014. TFL 47 is located on northern Vancouver Island near Port McNeill, and on parts of the coastal mainland and islands in the Johnstone Strait.
The audit will examine operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture, and fire protection practices for compliance with forest practices legislation. Portions of TFL 47 are also subject to ecosystem based management (EBM) requirements, which will be examined in the audit. This approach takes ecological and First Nations community requirements into account before decisions are made about where and how much to log.
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.
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will investigate how much progress communities have made in reducing forest fuels in the wildland-urban interface. The investigation is a follow-up to a report the Board published in February 2010.
“We decided earlier this year that it was time to take a look and see what has happened since our first report came out,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “The number of fires so far this summer has shown this is an urgent topic for the board to revisit and report on to the public.”
The earlier report examined fuel reduction treatments at 50 sites across the province, and included interviews with local governments, the First Nations Emergency Services Society, the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch, and consultants working on fuel treatment projects. It noted that good progress had been made, but much work remains to be done.
This investigation will revisit some of those same sites to assess how effective the fuel treatments were. More recent treatment sites will also be examined and interviews with communities, government staff and fire experts will be conducted to assess fuel reduction progress over the last five years.
“Preventive treatments to reduce wildfire risk and severity are one of the best things we can do to protect communities,” said Ryan. “We previously identified best practices for local governments, consultants and citizens and we are hoping to find that they are being followed.”
The board will be seeking input from communities as part of the project. However, given the current fire situation in the province, most field work likely won’t proceed until the fall, when more staff and experts are available to provide input to the project.
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 – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Pebble Creek Timber during the week of July 21, 2014.
The audit will examine timber harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, road maintenance and deactivation, and operational planning for compliance with forest practices legislation.
Pebble Creek has activities around the upper Lillooet River and Joffre Creek areas near Pemberton.
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:
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board has postponed its audit of the BC Timber Sales program in the Morice Timber Supply Area until August due to the current forest fire situation in the northern part of the province. The audit was scheduled to begin on Monday, July 21, 2014.
"BC Timber Sales staff are focused on assisting with the fire-fighting effort and all helicopter services are currently devoted to the fires," said Audit Director, Chris Mosher. "We don't want to divert any attention or resources away from the fires and so we have decided to wait until August 11, 2014, before beginning the audit field work. We will reassess the fire situation at that time and decide if we will proceed on this new schedule."
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:
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales program in the Morice Timber Supply Area during the week of July 21, 2014.
The audit will examine harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, maintenance and deactivation and operational planning carried out by BC Timber Sales and timber sale licence holders.
The audit will examine forestry activities in the area extending from Whitesail Lake in the south to Morrison Lake in the north, including forestry activities on or near Atna River, Morice Lake and Neneikekh/Nanika-Kidprice Parks. The area is known for its recreational use and caribou population and it has some range tenures.
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 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 land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
More information can be obtained by contacting:
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the forest practices of the Red Mountain Ski Resort, licence L49318, the week of July 7, 2014.
Red Mountain, which began as a community-operated ski facility, is currently owned by RMR Acquisition Corporation. The resort is expanding its ski capacity by clearing new runs and installing new lifts.
Auditors will examine all land-clearing and road-building activities associated with the licence, looking in particular at operational planning, harvesting, roads and protection practices under the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
The licence falls within the Red Mountain Controlled Recreation Area and is about 500 hectares in size. Given the small area, auditors expect to spend only a day or two in the field.
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:
Helen Davies
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales program based in Chilliwack during the week of June 23.
The audit will examine harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, maintenance and deactivation and operational planning carried out by BC Timber Sales and timber sale licence holders.
The one-week audit will examine forestry activities in or around the Chilliwack River Valley, Hope, Spuzzum, Boston Bar, Alouette Lake, Harrison Lake and Stave Lake. The operating area includes wildlife habitat areas for spotted owl, grizzly bear and mountain beaver, among other things.
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:
Helen Davies, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
