VICTORIA – Improved safety procedures and greater transparency are required to protect the public from the effects of arsenic treatments used to control bark beetle infestations, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The recommendations respond to a board investigation of a 2003 complaint by a Francois Lake resident about the use of an arsenic-based pesticide to control bark beetles in the Nadina Forest District. The complainant alleged that the arsenic compounds were spreading to other animals and humans, arsenic treatments were applied near private property, and that arsenic-treated trees were not tracked, and were eventually logged and milled, causing potential harm to both forestry and mill workers and the general public.
“The board commends the complainant for bringing this issue to our attention,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “The Ministry of Forests has been proactive in addressing many of the issues raised by the complainant and this will help prevent similar situations from arising in the future.”
The investigation found that the arsenic treatments complied with forest practices legislation, and other legislation is in place which is better suited to regulate the use of pesticides on trees. The report concluded that the Ministry of Forests used misleading terminology in its advertisements on the arsenic treatments, and that arsenic-treated trees were harvested and milled within a year of treatment, leading to an increased risk of exposure to workers and the general public.
“It is critical that arsenic-treated trees be tracked by government and only treated in isolated locations to avoid any risk of exposure,” said Fraser. “We have made substantive recommendations to make sure that tracking procedures are significantly improved and that the public is fully and accurately informed about arsenic treatments in their area.
“We note that the Nadina Forest District has already acted on many of the concerns identified in the report, and we have asked government to report back on our recommendations to make sure that appropriate procedures for arsenic treatments are applied throughout the province.”
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) has demonstrated sound forest practices in Forest Licence (FL) A18151 and is fully compliant with forest practices legislation, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The Board conducted an audit of Canfor’s planning, field activities and obligations in the areas of operational planning, timber harvesting, road deactivation, silviculture and fire protection in FL A18151 between May 1, 2003 and May 25, 2004. The audit found that Canfor is compliant in all significant respects under the Forest Practices Code and Forest Range and Practices Act for their activities in these areas.
FL A18151 is a volume-based tenure operating around the communities of Chetwynd, Hudson’s Hope, Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge. The Dawson Creek Land and Resource Management Plan is applicable to the operating area.
“Canfor’s approach to harvesting is reflective of natural disturbance patterns, and is being planned and conducted to address biodiversity and visual quality values”, said board chair Bruce Fraser. “The board commends Canfor for its performance, and for respecting the spirit and intent of local land-use plans on a voluntary basis.”
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Smithers resident Liz Osborn was congratulated today for her five years of service with the Forest Practices Board. Osborn served one term on the board from 1999 to 2002 and was subsequently vice-chair from 2002 to 2004.
“On behalf of all board members and staff, I want to recognize Liz’s outstanding commitment to sustainable forest management and her tremendous contribution to the work of the Forest Practices Board itself,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Liz not only served for two terms on the board but also stepped in as acting chair in 2003 and provided leadership to the organization during a time of transition.”
Osborn is a natural resources policy, planning and research expert. She has a master’s degree in natural resources management from Simon Fraser University and a master of science from the forestry and resource management department of the University of California, Berkeley. She also served as communications and policy co-ordinator and as executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.
“We wish Liz all the best in her future endeavours and we will continue to seek her counsel as the board evolves to reflect the new results-based forest practices legislation in the coming years,” said Fraser.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Decisive government leadership and prompt action are needed to address serious threats to the survival of BC’s mountain caribou, the Forest Practices Board reported today. The board has prepared a series of recommendations to promote mountain caribou recovery and will be monitoring government’s response to these recommendations in the coming weeks.
The board’s special report, entitled BC’s Mountain Caribou: Last Chance for Conservation?, focuses on the impact of forest practices and a complex of associated factors on the viability of BC’s mountain caribou population. British Columbia is home to virtually all of the world’s mountain caribou, but the population has been declining in recent years, dropping 17 per cent between 1996 and 2002.
Over the past few decades, logging, fires and road building have led to fragmentation of old-growth forest, disrupting critical caribou habitat and increasing vulnerability to predators such as wolves and cougars. Other factors such as historic over-hunting, increased backcountry recreation and climate change have also contributed to reduced mountain caribou population levels.
“The substantial and continuing decline in the mountain caribou population is serious and requires urgent government attention,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “This is a complex problem that requires a timely, co-ordinated and integrated approach to be effective in both protecting mountain caribou habitat and in dealing with immediate causes of mortality, such as predation.
“Government will need to make difficult decisions in the short and medium term on issues such as habitat conservation, predator/prey management and recreational access to demonstrate a serious commitment to mountain caribou recovery.”
Although an overall provincial mountain caribou recovery strategy was published in 2002, the board found that actions to benefit mountain caribou on the ground remain largely unco-ordinated. The recovery strategy has relied mainly on community stakeholder groups to develop local plans for recovery but no local action plans have been completed to date. It is important to note that locally developed recovery plans will not be binding on forest managers and resource agencies unless translated into law and regulations that will mandate implementation.
The recommendations from the board were developed in discussions with government agencies, industry representatives and environmental organizations and reflect the on-the-ground strategies currently underway to conserve mountain caribou. The board is encouraged by recent indications from government which point towards better coordination and research efforts, a new collaboration with industry and recreation interests to accommodate mountain caribou conservation and increased resources for recovery efforts. These initiatives have the potential to lead to an effective long-term mountain caribou recovery program. The board will monitor these developments closely through its ongoing program of independent audits and investigations.
“The established multi-stakeholder recovery action groups deserve expanded support from government, given the urgency of the decline in mountain caribou populations,” said Fraser. “Government must decide what value to place on protecting mountain caribou, in balance with other land use priorities such as forestry and commercial and public recreation, based on objective estimates of the social and economic costs of recovery.
“The board encourages government to provide clear leadership on mountain caribou conservation by bringing forward new initiatives in this area as soon as possible. The decline in mountain caribou is likely to become irreversible in the next few years without strong government co-ordination of the combined actions of scientists, agencies, forest and recreation industries and environmental groups.”
In a letter to government ministers, Fraser makes a number of recommendations in two key areas: immediate investments in recovery action plans, research and on the ground actions to implement more effective conservation efforts; and stronger provincial co-ordination to ensure that government’s intent for mountain caribou conservation is understood and implemented by all resource agencies and forest managers dealing with mountain caribou herds.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct an audit this month looking at forest activities around streams located in Wyndell Box and Lumber Ltd.’s operating areas in the Kootenay Forest District.
In some cases, forest practices, such as harvesting and road and stream crossing construction can have serious environmental impacts on water quality and fish habitat in streams if not done properly. Consequences may include surface soil erosion that can potentially cause landslides. This may harm fish, fish habitat, and water sources and endanger public safety and property.
The Kootenay Forest District was chosen at random for audit, and the streams focus was identified as appropriate for this licensee. The audit area covers the east side of Kootenay Lake from Creston to Murphy Creek.
The audit will examine Wyndell Box and Lumber’s operations for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and effectiveness of forest practices in conserving stream resources. The audit will look at practices in and around streams for the period between Jan. 1, 2000 and Oct. 1, 2004.
The audit team is made up of 3 registered professional foresters, two professional biologists and one chartered accountant. They will be in the area for about 5 days, beginning Sept. 27. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit report is drafted, 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.
Effectiveness auditing is a new form of auditing for the board in response to FRPA’s results-based approach, which focuses on the results of forest practices on the ground rather than the methods used to attain those results.
This audit will further work done in the first pilot riparian audit in 2003, conducted in the Chilliwack Forest District, to test indicators which will accurately measure the effectiveness of forest practices in protecting streams from the environmental impacts of logging operations. The results from the 2003 riparian audit will be released this fall.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Clear government direction and removing constraints on habitat protection are key priorities for preserving the threatened marbled murrelet on B.C.’s south coast, according to a Forest Practices Board special report released today.
The report is a follow-up to a 2003 board report on marbled murrelets. Today’s report found that some positive steps have been taken over the last year, such as industry-led measures to identify and protect key murrelet habitat, but there is still no specific government objective for marbled murrelet conservation. Further, the capacity to create wildlife habitat areas in order to protect murrelet nesting sites from logging is constrained by an arbitrary one per cent cap on timber supply impact.
“Government could improve the situation by setting clear and measurable objectives for marbled murrelet habitat on the south coast,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “All the available information indicates diminishing marbled murrelet populations over time. Despite this trend, forestry operations continue to be approved in sensitive habitat areas, further reducing opportunities for murrelet protection.”
The report, entitled A Lack of Direction – Improving Marbled Murrelet Conservation Under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), summarizes the latest science available on murrelet population and habitat needs, as well as the conservation tools available under FRPA.
The report found that murrelets are most threatened on the southern mainland coast of B.C. However, under current government policy it is very difficult to bring in new protection measures in this area, since the one per cent timber supply cap for establishing new wildlife habitat areas has already been reached. Further, land use planning is complete for much of the south coast, leaving little opportunity to create new protected areas to preserve marbled murrelet habitat.
“Designation of additional wildlife habitat areas is the best tool available to preserve murrelet habitat on the south coast,” said Fraser. “A review of the one per cent timber supply constraint on wildlife habitat areas is long overdue. If the review confirms murrelet conservation objectives cannot be met under the one per cent cap, the cap will need to be adjusted if the necessary habitat protection measures are to be implemented.”
The report makes the following recommendations:
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA - The Forest Practices Board will audit the appropriateness of government enforcement of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) within the Fort St. James Forest District.
Two government ministries are responsible for FRPA enforcement: the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. The audit will review the enforcement activities, systems and procedures used by government to encourage compliance with forest practices legislation. These activities include risk assessments, inspection of forest operations, investigations of possible FRPA contraventions, determinations (e.g., remediation orders and penalties) and follow-up.
The audit area of the Fort St. James Forest District boundaries covers approximately 3.174 million hectares. The district covers a varied landscape, with many rivers and lakes, from the town of Fort St. James at the southern end of the district to the mountainous region of the north.
Under FRPA, the Forest Practices Board is required to carry out periodic independent audits to see if government is enforcing the code appropriately. The audit area was selected randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
The four-member audit team consists of foresters and accountants, and may also include engineers and other specialists as required. The team began office work in June 2004 and fieldwork will be conducted during the week of September 13, 2004.
Once the fieldwork is done, the audit team will report its findings to the members of the Forest Practices Board. If there are any audit findings that would adversely affect any of the auditees, they must be given a chance to respond before the board prepares its final report and recommendations for release to the public and the government.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Weyerhaeuser’s operations on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island adopted a science-based approach to windthrow management which maintained environmental and forest values, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The board’s special investigation report, entitled Windthrow on West Island TimberLands, examined forest practices south of Port Alberni in the Franklin operating area of Weyerhaeuser Company Limited’s Tree Farm Licence 44. This special investigation was initiated to examine concerns identified during a previous board investigation of a complaint about windthrow management in TFL 44.
Trees blown down by wind are known as ‘windthrow’ and forest companies often include provisions to manage windthrow in their logging plans. In the late 1990s, the licensee changed its approach from trying to minimize windthrow to limiting the consequences of windthrow in order to avoid any anticipated environmental damage. This new approach was in keeping with the latest environmental science and included ongoing field studies to allow for continuous improvement of windthrow management.
“The licensee’s innovative approach to windthrow is based on the best science and could be used as a model for other operators,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Despite substantive windthrow, all of the objectives in the licensee’s forest harvesting plans appear to have been achieved.”
Following discussions with the Ministry of Forests, the licensee implemented this new approach, which involved a substantial reduction in windthrow treatments, before its amended plans were approved by the district manager. When the deadline for the windthrow treatments specified in the approved plans expired, the licensee was in procedural violation of the Forest Practices Code. This situation occurred in over half of the cutblocks surveyed.
“The non-compliance was procedural in nature and our field work found no evidence of environmental damage resulting from the new approach adopted by the licensee,” said Fraser.
The report also found that the Ministry of Forests enforced the code appropriately with respect to the licensee’s windthrow management, but suggested that inspections be conducted in a more timely and thorough manner, to help ensure early detection of windthrow management problems.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – While current mountain pine beetle management in B.C. is reasonably effective, a change in approach in heavily infested areas could potentially produce better results and should be explored by government agencies, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The board’s special report, entitled Evaluating Mountain Pine Beetle Management in British Columbia, is the first study of B.C.’s mountain pine beetle crisis to compare the effectiveness of previously completed on-the-ground beetle control harvesting, in a specific forest district, against alternative beetle management strategies. The report used an innovative computer simulation model to examine potential beetle management scenarios between 1996 and 2003 in the Nadina forest district, located in the Burns Lake area.
The report evaluates various beetle management scenarios against three criteria: maintaining environmental values defined by government, such as soil and streamside protection and biodiversity: effectiveness in reducing the amount of beetle-killed timber and the beetle populations themselves; and maximizing the volume of salvageable timber in beetle-infested areas.
Under the current mountain pine beetle management approach known as “leading edge,” the focus is to aggressively harvest recently infested “green” trees in order to mitigate timber losses and to reduce the rate of beetle spread. The report notes that the current approach to mountain pine beetle management is effective at recovering timber values and meeting environmental goals, however, it has not significantly slowed the spread or intensity of the infestation.
The simulation model found that, in areas where the rate of beetle infestation has reached epidemic levels, a “trailing edge” strategy focused on “red” trees initially attacked 1-3 years ago, would be more effective in reducing beetle populations and maximizing the recovery of economically salvageable timber.
“This report confirms the recent research that supports the use of trailing edge beetle management strategies under epidemic conditions, and also has the potential of reducing costs and increasing revenues to the Crown,” said Board chair Bruce Fraser. “We encourage the Ministry of Forests to conduct further work to see if this approach might be a useful complement to the current leading edge strategy, which we believe is still the best approach to address lower levels of beetle infestation.”
A board compliance audit is also included in the report. The audit found the licensees operating in the beetle-infested Hallett landscape unit within the Vanderhoof forest district to be in compliance, in all significant respects, with the Forest Practice Code’s requirements as they relate to mountain pine beetle management, for activities between September 1, 2002, and September 26, 2003.
“The scope and rapid progression of the mountain pine beetle outbreak are unprecedented, and it will have a significant impact on the forest industry and resource communities for decades to come,” said Fraser. “New research, and practical experience managing beetle infestations on the ground, can make conventional strategies obsolete very quickly. Board reports and field work on mountain pine beetle issues will continue to evolve to reflect the latest scientific findings.”
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct a pilot visual theme audit of a variety of forest tenures within the Campbell River Forest District.
The audit area consists of the Crown land portion of the Campbell River Forest District north of Strathcona Park and east of the Nimpkish River. The forest tenures of five principle auditees: Weyerhauser; Timberwest; Interfor; Canfor; and BC Timber Sales, will be audited.
The audit will focus on designated scenic areas within the audit area, including highway corridors and viewscapes located in the Johnstone Straits and associated inlets and islands. This is the board’s first theme audit of the performance of licensees with respect to managing visual quality related to forest practices in B.C.
The two objectives of this audit are:
1) To reach a conclusion regarding the level of compliance with legislated visual quality requirements, which are intended to limit the visual impact of logging activities, within the audit unit; and,
2) to assess and conclude on the effectiveness of managing visual quality where forest practices have occurred.
Auditors will mainly examine forest activities that were conducted under the Forest Practices Code prior to the implementation of the new Forest and Range Practices Act, which came into effect in January 2004.
The Forest Practices Board carries out periodic independent audits to see if government and forest companies are complying with the province’s forest practices legislation. The Campbell River Forest District was chosen randomly for this audit and not on the basis of location or level of performance.
The six members of the audit team include three registered professional foresters, two chartered accountants and one certified management accountant. One member of the audit team is also a visual management specialist. The team will be in the audit area for one to two weeks beginning on August 16, 2004. Once the fieldwork is done, the board will prepare a draft report on the audit findings. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have an opportunity to respond to the board before the report is finalized and released to the public and government.
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:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899