VICTORIA – Non-native, invasive plants, such as broom and knapweed, pose a growing threat to the native ecosystems in the province, according to a Forest Practices Board special report released today.

The report states that progress toward co-ordination of invasive plant control has been made in recent years, but much more needs to be done to actually control existing infestations and prevent their further spread.

“Invasive plants are spreading, and there is an increasing need for overall provincial co-ordination of legislation, roles and responsibilities ,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Clear direction about which invasive species are priorities for treatment, and support for actual on-the-ground delivery of treatment are also necessary to make progress on this important issue,” he said.

The investigation found that forest and range licensees have no legal obligation to carry out invasive plant inventories or to control existing invasive plants on Crown land. They are required to prevent the spread of invasive plants that may result from their activities; however, there is little guidance provided on how to do so.

The report also concluded that climate change and increased soil disturbance due to roads developed for pine beetle salvage logging and oil and gas exploration may contribute to continued invasive plant spread over the coming years.

The board has made recommendations to government about how to address these issues. It has requested a response to its recommendations by March 31, 2007.

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;
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

VICTORIA – Vernon forestry consultant Debbie Zandbelt has been appointed to the Forest Practices Board.

Zandbelt, a professional forester, has worked in government, industry and consulting in both B.C. and Alberta. Zandbelt is currently working primarily in the areas of professional forestry guidance, timber appraisals and silviculture. She chairs the Association of BC Forest Professionals Professional Practice Committee and is a member of the Practice Advisory Service.

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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VICTORIA – Bruce Fraser, chair of the Forest Practices Board, issued the following statement following appointments to the board announced by Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman:

“We are pleased to welcome Rachel Holt and Debbie Zandbelt to the board. They bring extensive backgrounds in forestry-related issues, and will make a significant contribution to our work in key areas such as endangered species, the mountain pine beetle epidemic, and silviculture.

The re-appointment of Geoff Battersby, Mark Haddock and Dave Mannix will ensure our board continues to reflect the perspective of community-based forestry and environmental issues, and the crucial role of First Nations communities in B.C.’s forest sector. Guenther Stahl and Barb Shirley will provide valuable insight and analysis to our work as their terms continue.

On behalf of the entire board, I want to recognize the contributions of Fred Lowenberger and Darcy Mitchell to the Forest Practices Board. Fred was a constant source of practical, on-the-ground advice for the last four years, and we benefited greatly from his decades of experience with the forest industry. Darcy brought a unique perspective to the board with her groundbreaking research on the non-timber forest products sector and her deep concern for community-based forest management. Fred and Darcy were valued members and will be missed around the board table.

Finally, I am honoured to be able to continue as board chair for the next three years. With our renewed team of board members and professional board staff, we will continue to report to the public on forest and range practices on B.C.’s public forest lands.”

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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VICTORIA – Nelson consultant Rachel Holt has been appointed to the Forest Practices Board.

Holt is a professional biologist and the owner of a small consulting company based in Nelson, British Columbia. She has worked to develop approaches for ecosystem-based management in the coastal temperate rainforest, managing endangered species, and environmental risk assessment for Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. Holt has helped to establish forest certification standards for B.C. and develop restoration strategies for mountain pine-beetle affected areas. She is a board member of the Columbia Mountains Institute and Kootenay Centre for Forestry Alternatives.

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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VICTORIA – British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence holders in the Queen Charlotte Islands timber supply area (TSA) met the requirements of forest practices legislation, the Forest Practices Board reported today.

“The audit found BCTS and its timber sale licence holders complied with their legal requirements in all significant respects,” said board chair Bruce Fraser, “and the board encourages them to continue to do so.”

The compliance audit examined the operational planning; timber harvesting; silviculture; road construction, maintenance, and deactivation; and fire protection activities carried out by BCTS and its timber sale licence holders throughout the Queen Charlotte Islands TSA for the period from May 7, 2005 to May 12, 2006.

BCTS is an independent organization within the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range, created to develop Crown timber for auction to establish market price and capture the value of the asset for the public. Timber sale licence holders are generally small companies that carry out harvesting, while BCTS is responsible for operational planning, silviculture, and major road construction.

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest practices of International Forest Products (Interfor), Terminal Forest Products, Northwest Hardwoods, F.A.B. Logging Co. Ltd., and 9096 Investments Ltd. in the Sunshine Coast Forest District.

The companies’ operations are located throughout the Sunshine Coast Forest District—from north of Powell River to south of Sechelt on the mainland coast, and various islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island.

Auditors will examine forest roads (construction, maintenance and deactivation) and timber harvesting carried out between Sept. 1, 2005 and Oct. 31, 2006, to assess compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act.

The board randomly carries out periodic independent audits to see if government and forest companies are complying with the province’s forest practices legislation. The audit area was chosen randomly, and not on the basis of location or level of performance.

The audit work will be carried out over four weeks, beginning Oct. 10, 2006. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit report is 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 an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the FRPA and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:

• Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
• Auditing government enforcement of FRPA.
• Investigating public complaints.
• Undertaking special investigations of forestry issues.
• Participating in administrative appeals.
• Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.

VICTORIA – The reforestation of areas most heavily affected by B.C.’s mountain pine beetle infestation is as prompt, or quicker, than in areas not affected, or affected to a lesser degree, according to a report released today by the Forest Practices Board.

“The board views this as a commendable achievement,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “There have been public concerns expressed about the ability to keep up with the increased levels of harvesting, and we are pleased to find that licensees are taking steps to quickly reforest the areas harvested.”

The board’s special investigation compared reforestation efforts in the Quesnel, Nadina and Vanderhoof forest districts with the other forest districts in the Interior of B.C. It looked at cutblocks that were harvested between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 2004. Along with good reforestation efforts in the three mountain pine beetle districts, the board also reported an increase in mixed species planting, as opposed to pure pine plantations, in these areas. The board is encouraging government to work with licensees to continue to establish a greater diversity of tree species, on specific sites and across the landscape.

Increasing the diversity of trees could help to avoid a similar catastrophic event in future by reducing B.C.’s reliance on a single species of tree. Up to 80 per cent of the Interior’s mature lodgepole pine volume is expected to die as a result of the mountain pine beetle epidemic. And lodgepole pine accounts for more than half of the merchantable volume in the Interior of B.C.

“Increasing the diversity of trees growing on individual blocks and across the landscape would be one of many techniques needed to improve the ability of future forests to withstand the impacts of climate change,” said Fraser.

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct a pilot audit examining protection of multiple forest values in the Fort St. James Forest District later this September.

The audit will assess compliance with Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) requirements, along with the effectiveness of forest practices as they relate to management of important forest values, such as streams, water quality, and soils. Previous pilot audits have looked at each forest value on its own, but this will be the first time the board has looked at multiple forest values in the same area.

The audit will examine Apollo Forest Products Ltd.’s activities on forest licence A18156 and Brave Holdings Ltd.’s activities on salvage non-replaceable forest licence A75670, for the period between Sept. 1, 2004 and Sept. 31, 2006. The companies’ operations are located in the Kazchek Operating Area, northwest of Fort St. James, in between Trembleur Lake and Kazchek Lake.

Some of Apollo’s activities have been carried out according to a forest stewardship plan, which was prepared and approved under the new FRPA, rather than the old Forest Practices Code. This will also be the board’s first examination of FRPA on the ground.

The audit team will be in the area for one week, beginning Sept. 24, with an additional field visit possible later on. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit 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.

These pilot effectiveness audits are allowing the board to test methods of auditing the achievement of results on the ground, which will be very important as the Province begins implementing FRPA.

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;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices of British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence (TSL) holders in a portion of the Peace Forest District.

The audit will examine BCTS and TSL holders’ operations located throughout the Fort  St. John timber supply area (TSA), which extends predominately north and west of the city. These operations fall under the Fort St. John Pilot Project Regulation, and will be the first board audit of operations conducted within a pilot project area.

BCTS is an independent organization within the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range, created to develop Crown timber for auction. TSL holders bid on the timber and then carry out the harvesting and some road activities.

Auditors will examine operational planning; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; timber harvesting; silviculture; and fire protection activities carried out since April 1, 2005, to assess compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act.

The board randomly carries out periodic independent audits to see if government and forest companies are complying with the province’s forest practices legislation. This BCTS operation was chosen randomly from all the BCTS TSAs in the province, and not on the basis of location or level of performance.

The audit team will be in the area for approximately one week, beginning Sept. 5, 2006. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit report is 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 an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the FRPA and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:

• Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
• Auditing government enforcement of FRPA.
• Investigating public complaints.
• Undertaking special investigations of forestry issues.
• Participating in administrative appeals.
• Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.

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VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices of Triumph Timber Ltd. in the North Coast Forest District.

The audit will examine Triumph Timber’s operations on forest licence A16820, located north and south of Prince Rupert.

Auditors will examine operational planning; timber harvesting; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; silviculture; and fire protection activities carried out between Aug. 1, 2005 and Aug. 25, 2006, to assess compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

The board carries out periodic independent audits to see if government and forest companies are complying with the Province’s forest practices legislation. Triumph Timber Ltd. was selected randomly, and not on the basis of location or level of performance.

The three-member audit team will be in the area from three to five days, beginning Aug. 21, 2006. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit 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 an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the FRPA and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:

• Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
• Auditing government enforcement of FRPA.
• Investigating public complaints.
• Undertaking special investigations of forestry issues.
• Participating in administrative appeals.
• Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.

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