VICTORIA — The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest practices of Stella-Jones Canada Inc. on Forest Licence A20196 starting August 7, 2012.
The audit will look at harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, road maintenance and deactivation, and operational planning that took place in the past two years for compliance with forest practices legislation.
The four operating areas to be audited are located on the east side of Upper Arrow Lake, near the communities of Nakusp and Burton. Stella-Jones operates within the Caribou Creek community watershed, which serves as a water supply for Burton.
This area is covered by the Kootenay Boundary Higher Level Plan Order. It is also the potential home to the Coeur d’Alene Salamander and the Interior Western Screech Owl, both considered to be species at risk.
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 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 audit the forest practices of West Fraser Mills Ltd. on Forest Licence A18694 in the Kamloops Timber Supply Area, starting July 23, 2012.
The audit will look at harvesting, silviculture, protection, road construction, road maintenance and deactivation, and operational planning that took place in the past two years for compliance with forest practices legislation.
West Fraser Mills Ltd. operates under this licence in two areas. One is located east of Bonaparte Lake and west of the North Thompson River, between Kamloops and Clearwater. The other is east of the North Thompson River near Vavenby.
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 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 board will audit the forest practices of 606546 B.C. Ltd. on Forest Licence A19202, near Chilliwack, starting July 16, 2012.
The audit will examine harvesting, road construction, maintenance and deactivation, protection and related planning that took place in the past year for compliance with forest practices legislation.
Harvesting occurred near the community of Deroche, Chehalis Lake, the Sumallo River and the Silver River near Harrison Lake. Spotted owls are known to inhabit some of these areas.
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 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 – An audit of BC Timber Sales’ (BCTS) Strait of Georgia Business Area has found several instances of non-compliance with provincial forestry legislation by timber sale licence holders and BCTS operating within the Campbell River area. Only one of 24 timber sale licensees had no problems noted with its operations.
“While the auditors did not find evidence of significant environmental harm at the time, these practices increase the risk of damage to resources and the environment occurring,” said board chair Al Gorley.
Auditors found instances where fish habitat was not being adequately protected because of sediment introduced into fish streams as well as a failure to maintain the natural drainage patterns of several small streams. Other problems noted include not adhering to professionally developed plans, and not having an adequate fire suppression system on site during extreme fire hazard conditions.
“Individually, each of these instances might not be considered serious; but taken together, and given the number in total, the board considers them to be significant,” Gorley said. “The board has conducted well over 100 compliance audits since 1996, including more than 20 audits of BCTS operations, and typically finds very few problems ― this is an exception.”
The report notes that BCTS has committed to taking action to address the board’s concerns.
The BCTS operating areas audited include Gold River on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Sayward on the east, and Mainland areas across from Campbell River.
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.
VICTORIA – The total area of BC’s provincial forests that may need to be restocked with healthy young trees could exceed current reforestation efforts by more than one million hectares, according to a Forest Practices Board report released today.
The report indicates that almost two million hectares of Crown forested land could potentially be “not satisfactorily restocked” (NSR). Of that, nearly half a million hectares will be restocked by industry and government has current plans to restock about a quarter of a million hectares.
“Decisions about whether to replant areas where mountain pine beetle and fire have killed most of the trees will have an impact on the future timber supply in the BC interior,” said Al Gorley, board chair. “At a minimum, if nature is left to take its course, the eventual crop of timber in those areas will be delayed.”
Government has a reforestation program for these areas, but to date it has only directed limited effort at re-stocking mature, beetle-affected forests because those areas might still be harvested – and eventually restocked – by the forest industry.
“There is a lot of debate about exactly how much forest has been damaged by fire and beetles,” said Gorley. “But the important question is, should we invest money now to ensure a healthy timber supply into the future, and, if so, how will we raise and invest it? But if action is to be taken, it must be taken quickly.”
The Board has made recommendations to government that it hopes will promote a useful dialogue on the topic of restocking British Columbia’s forests.
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:
Helen Davies
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The board will audit the forest practices of International Forest Products Ltd. Forest Licences A16850 and A82001, starting June 25, 2012.
The audit will examine operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire preparedness and hazard abatement for compliance with forest practices legislation.
The audit area extends north from Cape Caution to Price Island (centred about 160 kilometres north of Port Hardy). Communities in the audit area include Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
These forest licences are within the area covered by the South Central Coast and Central North Coast Orders and the audit will look at compliance with the ecosystem-based management requirements of these orders.
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 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 board will audit the forest practices of Amabilis Contracting Ltd., a part of the Pioneer Family Timber Partnership, on Forest Licence A79575, starting June 18, 2012.
The audit will examine operational planning, harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire preparedness and hazard abatement for compliance with forest practices legislation.
Harvesting is aimed at salvaging mountain pine beetle-infested timber. Communities near the audit areas include the Village of Horsefly and the City of Williams Lake.
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 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 – An investigation into the state of old-growth forest retention in the province has concluded that, while old growth retention objectives are being implemented, government needs to track retention areas, and evaluate whether or not they are actually effective in protecting biodiversity.
The report, released today, notes that government and the forest industry have invested significant resources into identifying old-growth forest for retention since the mid-1990s. Over 55,000 old-growth management areas have been identified, covering nearly four million hectares of forest.
“We saw examples of forest companies voluntarily protecting old-growth management areas to ensure they are meeting the Province’s objectives,” said board chair Al Gorley. “However, because many of these areas do not have legal status, that protection is not guaranteed in the future. Even with legal status, protection is not assured when other industries operating on public land are not subject to the old-growth rules.”
The board’s report makes six recommendations to government to improve the protection of old-growth forests in 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 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:
Helen Davies, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – A Forest Practices Board investigation into a complaint about the forest practices of Meadow Creek Cedar Ltd. near Kootenay Lake found failures to comply with forestry legislation and unsound practices, according to the investigation report released today.
“We found that some of Meadow Creek’s road, harvesting and silviculture activities did not comply with legislation, and some silviculture, protection and road construction practices were unsound,” said board chair Al Gorley. “Meadow Creek did not implement recommendations made by professional foresters and engineers and this led to unacceptable environmental risks.”
“This is an isolated case and these practices are not typical of those we usually see in our audits and investigations,” Gorley added.
The report notes that government’s compliance monitoring of Meadow Creek’s operations was appropriate, but it was not effective in getting the company to improve its performance.
“In cases where there is a continuous and prolonged contravention of a licensee’s obligations and continuing evidence of unsound forest practices, government needs to be able to act much sooner.” said Gorley. “Failure to do so undermines public confidence in the Forest and Range Practices Act , and the ability of government, tenure holders and the professionals that work for them, to manage the forest resource competently.”
Finally, the report notes that unmaintained roads in the Healy Creek drainage, an area removed from forest harvesting to protect mountain caribou habitat, are creating a risk to fisheries resources in Healy Creek and the Lardeau River, including the world’s largest rainbow trout species, Gerrard rainbow trout. The report makes a number of recommendations, including deactivating roads to protect fisheries in this 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 is required to investigate public complaints about forest planning and practices.
Media contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications Director
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of BC Timber Sales and 24 timber sale licensees in the Mackenzie District north of Prince George found that forest planning, silviculture, fire protection, harvesting and road activities were mostly in compliance with legislation, according to a report released today.
“Auditors found that one bridge and a short section of road were constructed in a manner that could have an impact on fish habitat,” said board chair Al Gorley. “However, BCTS made immediate remediation efforts, and the board is satisfied with that.”
The six-million-hectare Mackenzie District includes the communities of Mackenzie, Fort Ware and Tsay Keh. The Mackenzie Land and Resource Management Plan covers the audit area and provides general direction for values such as water, wildlife and recreation.
The board’s audit fieldwork took place from Sept. 26 to 30, 2011.
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:
Helen Davies, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4708 / 1 800 994-5899
