VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will be in Burns Lake in early June, to audit the forest planning and practices of the Burns Lake Indian Band.

The audit will examine the band’s operations in non-replaceable forest licence A72919, located in the vicinity of Tercer Lake, southeast of Burns Lake.

Auditors will examine operational planning; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; timber harvesting; silviculture; and fire protection activities carried out between June 1, 2005, and June 2, 2006, to assess compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act.

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

Two auditors will be in the area for two days, beginning June 1, 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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VICTORIA – The first forest stewardship plans (FSPs) under new results-based forestry legislation lack clear results, and make it difficult for the public and government to hold forest companies accountable, according to a Forest Practices Board special report released today.

The board reviewed 15 of the first FSPs submitted by forest companies under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). FRPA replaced the detailed requirements under the former Forest Practices Code with objectives for a range of forest values, such as protecting community watersheds and conserving species at risk. This “results-based” framework allows forest companies wide discretion as to how they meet these objectives.

“The Forest Practices Board supports the results-based regulatory regime,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Our goal with this report is to contribute to the successful implementation of FRPA, by ensuring that FSPs provide accountable and transparent information on forest practices in British Columbia.”

Under FRPA, FSPs are the only plans subject to mandatory public review before companies can begin logging on Crown land, and hundreds of FSPs are expected to be approved in the coming months for a 5-10 year period. Requirements for approving FSPs are not onerous, and all FSPs reviewed for the board’s report fully complied with the legislation.

The report identified four key concerns with the early FSPs:

• FSPs provide very little detail about how, when and where logging will take place on Crown land. The plans cover huge land areas with no details of exactly where logging is proposed.
• FSPs are written in complex legal language that makes it very difficult for the public to understand and comment on.
• Most FSPs do not make commitments to measurable results or outcomes.
• Except for default practices required by legislation, the commitments in FSPs tend to be vague and non-measurable, which will be challenging for government staff to enforce.

“These FSPs simply do not reflect the high level of forest practices we find in our regular board audits and investigations,” said Fraser. “We would like to see those good practices reflected in FSPs, both to provide greater accountability and to maintain B.C.’s global reputation as a leader in sustainable forest management.”

In a letter to Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman, Fraser makes several suggestions to address the board’s concerns. Fraser suggests government clarify what it considers successful achievement of FRPA objectives, prepare plain-language stewardship statements to explain the objectives, and consider approving FSPs for a shorter time period to allow for adjustments in response to public concerns.

“The board recognizes that FSPs are only one part of the overall framework for forestry management in B.C.,” said Fraser. “Sound stewardship is possible even with vague plans, and we will continue to monitor practices on the ground as the FSPs are implemented.”

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The board’s mandate has been retained under the new Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 Forest Practices Board is coming to the Queen Charlotte Islands in early May, to audit British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence (TSL) holders.

The audit will examine BCTS and TSL holders’ operations throughout the Queen Charlotte Islands timber supply area (TSA), including Sewell Inlet, Collison Point, and Massett Inlet.

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 between May 7, 2005, and May 12, 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. This first audit of the 2006 season was chosen randomly from all the BCTS TSA s in the province, and not on the basis of location or level of performance.

The five-member audit team will start work on May 8, 2006, at the Ministry of Forests and Range office in Queen Charlotte City. Based on the number of active timber sales in the past year, the team expects to complete all field work within a week.

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 has successfully tested new tools to audit the effectiveness of forest practices in maintaining biodiversity and other important forest values, according to two new board reports released today.

The first report addresses the testing of criteria and indicators to evaluate the maintenance of biodiversity – probably the most difficult forest value to measure. The board found that criteria and indicators provide an objective, science-based assessment standard for evaluating biodiversity conservation by forest licensees.

Canfor’s management of biodiversity on Tree Farm Licence 37 on northern Vancouver Island was the subject of the testing process. Canfor’s operations under this licence are certified by the Canadian Standards Association and overseen by a sustainable forest management plan with specific provisions for biodiversity, which provided the ideal test environment for the board’s new audit tools.

“We appreciate Canfor’s willingness to volunteer in helping the board test this new approach to auditing the effectiveness of forest practices on the ground,” said board chair Bruce Fraser.

The second report summarizes the experience and lessons learned in five pilot audits examining soil conservation, visual quality, and stream riparian management, in addition to the biodiversity work. The criteria and indicators and the audit methods were the subject of consultation and discussion with government agencies, academics and forestry licensees.

“By developing and testing these audit tools, we can report to British Columbians on the effectiveness of forest practices in protecting biodiversity, fish and wildlife habitat, community watersheds, and other forest values, which is essential in a results-based regulatory environment,” said Fraser.

The report also notes that using criteria and indicators in board audits is complicated by several issues. For example, it can be difficult to attribute impacts directly to one operator’s forest practices when there are other activities such as ranching, mining, or private land development taking place on the same land.

“Despite some weaknesses, criteria and indicators are vitally important tools to measure the effectiveness of forest practices conducted under the Forest and Range Practices Act,” said Fraser. “We will continue to develop and refine our auditing tools over the coming years, as the new legislation starts to influence practices on the ground.”

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 – Forest companies in British Columbia are continuing to do a good job at planting and tending new forests in logged areas, the Forest Practices Board reported today. The board’s special report is an update to a previous 2003 board study on reforestation of B.C.’s public lands.

Following the logging of public land, forest companies are required to reforest sites with native tree species to establish a new crop of trees. The companies are then required to tend those trees for a number of years, to ensure they grow into a healthy new forest by a specified date. Once they reach this stage, called free-growing, the companies are relieved of their responsibility to look after the trees and they become the responsibility of the Crown.

“The board found that 92 per cent of cutblocks due for free-growing actually achieved free-growing status, which compares favorably with the findings in our 2003 report,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “This means that public expectations for logged areas to be replaced with healthy new forests are being met.”

The investigation also found, however, that over half the silviculture prescriptions had to be amended in order to achieve free-growing status. The reasons for these amendments were not tracked in the database until this year, so it is not clear why so many amendments were required.

“The board will conduct a detailed review of the large number of amendments over the coming months,” said Fraser.

The report also makes recommendations to government in order to make free-growing reporting easier and more useful in future. The board examined all cutblocks required to achieve free-growing between 1987 and March 31, 2004, consisting largely of cutblocks harvested between 1987 and 1992. In total, over 300,000 hectares of harvested lands were reviewed for the report.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 –Forest companies in British Columbia are continuing to do a good job at planting and tending new forests in logged areas, the Forest Practices Practices Code.

The finding was reported in a board compliance audit of the BC Timber Sales Program (BCTS) and timber sale licence holders in the district, which includes the Invermere and Cranbrook Timber Supply Areas. BC Timber Sales is an independent organization within the Ministry of Forests and Range, created to develop Crown timber for auction, establish market price and capture the value of the asset for the public.

With one exception, the audit found full compliance by BCTS and its timber sale licence holders with all requirements of forest practices legislation. The significant non-compliance concerned the road construction and upgrading activities of a timber sale licence holder which could potentially impact nearby fish streams. The ministry is now conducting its own investigation into the board’s finding.

“This non-compliance finding is serious and represents an ongoing threat to a fish-bearing stream,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “This licence holder did not follow the conditions of the road permit, which were designed to prevent damage to the adjacent stream. Sediment is likely continuing to enter the stream from this road, because of the poor drainage systems.”

The board notes that BCTS is not legally responsible for either the road itself or the permit to use the road, which was approved by the Ministry of Forests and Range. However, BCTS voluntarily attempted to repair the damage in order to stop sediment from entering the stream. These efforts, while well-intentioned, were not entirely effective and the board believes BCTS could improve its performance in this area.

“Once the ministry has completed its investigation, the board may undertake a special investigation into the approval and enforcement of this road permit, if we determine this additional review would be in the public interest,” said Fraser.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 Forest Practices Board is urging cautious management of northern goshawk habitat on Haida Gwaii, to allow time for ongoing planning processes to address goshawk management.

Goshawks are large hawks that depend upon mature forests for nesting. They feed on a variety of larger birds and mammals, such as red squirrels, blue grouse and marbled murrelets. Research indicates the northern goshawks on Haida Gwaii may be genetically isolated from the mainland populations, and their long-term viability is uncertain.

The board’s conclusions are from a closing letter sent to the Haida Gwaii Group of the Sierra Club. The environmental organization had filed a complaint alleging that government’s strategy was not adequate to preserve the goshawk population on Haida Gwaii. The complaint alleged that inadequate protection of foraging habitat, a one per cent timber-supply cap on protection measures, lack of co-ordination between licensees operating in the area, and failure to require nest surveys prior to harvesting could put goshawk habitat at risk.

“We found there was substance to the complainant’s concerns, as there is no current strategy to protect goshawk habitat at the landscape level,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “However, these concerns can be addressed through the ongoing Haida Gwaii land use planning process and the anticipated recovery strategy by the Northern Goshawk Recovery Team.”

The draft Haida Gwaii land use plan includes several recommendations for goshawk protection, such as developing a comprehensive inventory of goshawk nest locations and foraging habitat; protecting goshawk nest areas in a 200-hectare reserve; and managing goshawk territories to maintain suitable foraging habitat. The recovery team is working to determine how many pairs of goshawks are required to ensure a viable population on Haida Gwaii.

“There is reason for optimism that these processes, once complete, will result in positive results for the northern goshawk on Haida Gwaii,” said Fraser. “In the meantime, however, we urge the district to continue to be cautious in approving new harvesting plans that could impact this vulnerable and isolated population.”

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 provincial government should clarify responsibility and accountability for evaluating hazards and managing risks to public safety after forest fires, the Forest Practices Board repored today.

Once a wildfire is extinguished, most people believe the danger has passed. However, wildfire-related hazards, such as landslides and flooding, can occur months or even years after a fire, putting people, property and infrastructure at risk. At present, there is no agency with the legal responsibility to identify fire risks or repair damage from forest fires in British Columbia.

The board’s special report on post-wildfire hazard assessment and risk management summarizes several hazardous incidents following the 2003 fire season, including a large landslide that damaged highways and destroyed houses north of Creston almost a year after the original fire was reported. The board investigated who is responsible for identifying these fire-related hazards, and for taking action to protect people and property at risk.

“The provincial government should clearly identify which agency is in charge of assessing the risk of damage after fires, and communicating information on potential hazards to the public,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “The Southern Interior Forest Region is developing a standard operating procedure to ensure risks are identified and affected parties are notified. We encourage government to use this approach as a model, in areas where public safety is at risk following forest fires.”

The board makes the following recommendations, and requests a response from government by Dec. 31, 2006:

• The provincial government should designate a lead agency (or agencies) for post-wildfire hazard assessment and post-wildfire risk management.
• The provincial government should complete a standard operating procedure for post-wildfire risk assessment and management, and implement it where appropriate.
• Where there is an unacceptable risk to people, property or infrastructure after an interface wildfire, the provincial government should explore ways of helping those at risk manage and mitigate the risk.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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 – British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sales licence holders in the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA) have received a clean audit, the Forest Practices Board reported today.

“The audit found BCTS and its timber sale licence holders complied in all significant respects with forest practices legislation. The audit did find two minor instances of poor harvesting practices that caused excess soil disturbance,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “However, the board is encouraged by the steps the local BCTS office has taken in response to these findings, including conducting a soil disturbance survey; hiring a second compliance technician; and extending the term of timber sale licences.”

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 in the Lakes TSA, located in Burns Lake, for the period from July 1, 2004, to July 29, 2005.

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 an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under FRPA 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.