VICTORIA – The Province’s independent forest practices watchdog is updating its approach to auditing and monitoring forestry operations to reflect emerging trends such as results-based regulation and third-party certification.
In its 2003 annual report released today, the Forest Practices Board also reviews the impact of new forestry legislation, the need to protect endangered species habitats, and the board’s role in the ongoing public dialogue about the future of forest management in British Columbia.
"As forest regulations shift from detailed rules to a focus on achieving results, the role of an independent watchdog to monitor forest practices and report findings to British Columbians is more relevant than ever," said board chair Bruce Fraser.
The report profiles several board responses to the results-based environment, including pilot audits using indicators for soil and riparian values and coordinating board audits with third party certification audits.
“For the coming year, the board will focus on measuring the effectiveness of forest practices on the ground,” said Fraser. “We also reaffirm our commitment to promoting the public interest in forest stewardship, continuing to produce quality field work, and informing and engaging the public on key topics such as the mountain pine beetle crisis and forest fire rehabilitation strategies.”
Some report highlights:
In 2003, the board published eight audit reports, four complaint investigation reports, and three special reports. The board also participated in an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on a groundbreaking case involving compensation for damage to environmental values on public forest lands.
Major complaint investigation issues reported in 2003 include the potential environmental impacts of road construction, wildlife/range interaction, and trespassing concerns involving cattle grazing.
Bill Cafferata’s three-year term as board chair ended in January 2003 and Dr. Bruce Fraser joined the Board as the new chair in late November 2003. Vice-chair Liz Osborn, Tyler Elm, Fred Lowenberger, and Dave Mannix continued as part-time board members in 2003.
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.
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Kemess Mine has addressed most of the environmental issues identified in a Forest Practices Board investigation, but there are still environmental concerns related to skid bridges near the power line, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
Today’s report is a follow-up to the board’s 2000 special investigation of the Kemess Mine power line, located in the Mackenzie Forest District in northern B.C. The board found that five out of six breaches of the Forest Practices Code identified in 2000 have been adequately addressed, including removing logging debris from streams and mitigating environmental damage at four sites along the power line corridor. The sixth breach, related to the cumulative impact of over 169 temporary bridges on streams along the power line, has only been partially addressed.
“We appreciate that Kemess Mine has acted on most of the problems identified in our previous report,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “We remain concerned, however, that 53 skid bridges have not been removed or upgraded and continue to pose a significant threat to the environment.”
“These bridges have a temporary lifespan and were supposed to have been removed once the power line was completed. They are contributing sediment to fish streams and are at risk of collapsing if left there without reinforcement.”
Kemess Mine is planning an inspection of the power line in 2004. As part of this inspection, the board recommends that the remaining 53 bridges be assessed by a qualified professional engineer and a certified professional in erosion and sediment control; and that Kemess Mine complete all remedial actions recommended by these professionals as quickly as possible.
The follow-up report points out that none of the three regulatory ministries (Energy and Mines; Water, Land and Air Protection; and Forests) has taken any steps to address the environmental issues related to the temporary bridges.
The board recommends that the ministries of Energy and Mines, Forests, and Water, Land and Air Protection review the professional reports arising from the 2004 inspection and take appropriate actions to ensure Kemess Mine addresses any concerns or environmental harm that is identified.
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 provincial government’s biodiversity strategy under the Forest Practices Code is applied unevenly across the province, and key on-the-ground measures are not being implemented in many areas, according to a Forest Practices Board study released today.
The study surveyed government ministry staff responsible for implementing the biodiversity strategy under the Code. The study found that there was no monitoring of the implementation of the strategy, and that the future of the strategy under the new Forest and Range Practices Act is not clear.
Ten specific biodiversity elements were rated in the study. In general, administrative measures such as mapping and defining zones were fully implemented; on-site forestry practices such as setting aside reserves for streams and wildlife trees were also implemented; however, key on the-ground conservation measures such as achieving a diversity of forest ages to mimic natural patterns and maintaining connections between habitats were not implemented in a majority of areas.
“We found thorough implementation of the biodiversity strategy in only 6 out of 39 forest districts across the province,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Lack of clarity on responsibilities of resource ministries, pressure on timber supply and different interpretations of biodiversity objectives were all cited by ministry staff as impediments to implementation of the biodiversity strategy.”
The board’s report covers the period from the implementation of the code in 1995 through early 2003, and does not reflect the new Forest and Range Practices Act, which took effect earlier this year.
The report presents several recommendations to government, including clarifying the future of the province’s strategy to conserve biodiversity under the new Forest and Range Practices Act, updating the scientific research that supports the strategy, and establishing a coordinated system to monitor the status of biodiversity conservation measures across the province.
“As we move to a results-based approach to forest legislation, it is essential that the government set a clear direction for the future of the biodiversity strategy,” said Fraser. “This report assessed implementation of biodiversity measures, but we have not yet looked at the effectiveness of these measures at actually conserving biodiversity on the ground. We are encouraged by recent initiatives by government, industry and environmental organizations to develop specific and measurable indicators for biodiversity, which will allow the board to evaluate the effectiveness of biodiversity measures in future reports.”
Biodiversity is a scientific term that designates the variety of wildlife and plant species, habitats and ecosystems needed to support plant and animal life. The preamble of the 1995 Forest Practices Code recognized the importance of biodiversity to British Columbians, and subsequent government policy established a strategy and guidelines for biodiversity. Internationally, Canada has made commitments to preserve biodiversity under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
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 – Western Forest Products Ltd. (WFP) has improved its forest practices in Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 25 and is fully compliant with all requirements of the Forest Practices Code for this licence, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The board conducted an audit of WFP’s activities in TFL 25 with respect to operational planning, timber harvesting, road construction, maintenance and deactivation, silviculture and fire protection practices carried out between Aug. 1, 2002, and Aug. 29, 2003.
The operating area for TFL 25 consists of five distinct geographic areas: southern Vancouver Island, the mainland coast at the head of Loughborough Inlet; mid-Vancouver Island between Port McNeill and Campbell River; the mainland coast between Bella Coola and Prince Rupert; and on Moresby Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands. The TFL is an area-based licence that is 480,865 hectares in size.
“We are pleased to see the improvement in forest practices by this licensee since our previous audit of TFL 25 in 1999,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “WFP is meeting all its code obligations, including road maintenance and tending of replanted sites even in remote areas that are subject to the harvesting moratorium on the central coast.”
WFP is not harvesting on the central coast while the land-use planning process in that region is underway.
Partially as a result of this audit, the board will now exempt licenses that undergo random board audits from future audits for five years, a change from the current exemption period of three years. This change takes effect as of the 2004 audit season.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – Richmond Plywood (Richply) is carrying out good forest practices on northern Vancouver Island, but the Ministry of Forests needs to improve its bridge safety procedures in the area, the Forest Practices Board reported today.
The board conducted an audit of Richply’s operations under Forest Licence A19243, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island west of Port Hardy. This volume-based forest licence in the North Island–Central Coast Forest District has an allowable annual cut of 53,773 cubic metres. The audit examined Richply’s operational planning, timber harvesting, road construction, maintenance and deactivation, silviculture and fire protection practices carried out between May 2002 and June 2003.
The board found that Richply used appropriate forestry techniques to fully comply with its obligations under the Forest Practices Code, and also achieved environmental objectives such as protecting fish and wildlife habitats, and supported opportunities for recreational activities as specified by the higher level plan commitments in the Vancouver Island Summary Land Use Plan.
“Just as the board is vigilant in reporting non-compliance, it’s important that we recognize first-rate performance by a licensee when we find it,” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “We commend Richply for logging in a responsible manner and employing appropriate forest management and silviculture techniques in their operations to respect local land-use plans.”
As part of the audit, Richply’s surface bridge maintenance practices were assessed. While Richply was fully compliant in this area, as in all others surveyed, the audit uncovered a case of significant non-compliance on bridge safety by the North Island–Central Coast Forest District.
Ministry of Forests staff found that a bridge along the Nahwitti Forest Service Road was unsafe for crossing in December 2001 but access to the bridge was not physically blocked until May 2003. While staff did post signage in March 2002 to prohibit vehicle access to the bridge, the Forest Practices Code requires the responsible authority to repair, close, remove or replace unsafe bridges to ensure public safety.
“We are very concerned about the risks to industrial and recreational users in this area caused by the undue delay in removing this unsafe bridge,” said Fraser. “The district has committed to better inform the public and industrial users of the condition of bridges in the future in order to protect the safety of road users and avoid damage to bridges.”
The board has requested that a copy of the district’s new public information policy on bridge safety and implementation plan be delivered to the board by July 1, 2004.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
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Ministry of Forests Response
Board's Closing Letter
Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA - On Nov. 20, the Forest Appeals Commission struck down the Ministry of Forests' approval of five cutblocks in the Queen Charlotte Islands. The decision keeps alive important options to conserve the old-growth habitat critical for the survival of the marbled murrelet, a threatened species.
This area was the primary focus of wildlife inventories in 1995 and 1996, which showed very high levels of murrelet nesting activity. Despite this, logging of 51 cutblocks was approved in 1999. The board appealed the approval of the 51 cutblocks and the commission's decision sets aside the approval of five cutblocks - the ones containing the best habitat. However, despite the victory, one of the cutblocks has already been logged and a second may have been - the board is now trying to confirm the status of these areas.
"This decision opens up options for conserving marbled murrelet habitat," said Dr. Bruce Fraser, chair of the Forest Practices Board. "We are now reviewing the recommendations of the marbled murrelet recovery team in light of this decision, and we may recommend that the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection act quickly to implement the recovery team's advice and incorporate this habitat into wildlife habitat areas, protecting it from further logging."
Following approval of these cutblocks in 1999, the board's appeal was heard by a government review panel, which upheld the approval in 2000. The board then appealed the review panel decision to the Forest Appeals Commission, which held a hearing in late 2001 and released its final decision on the matter last week. The fact that at least one of the cutblocks was logged while the appeal was underway is of concern to the board.
Marbled murrelets are small seabirds that live along the Pacific coast of North America. Being poor fliers, this species has very specific habitat needs. They nest in old-growth forests within 50 kilometres of the ocean, below 1,000 metres above sea level. Marbled murrelets are still relatively abundant, but they are considered threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada because populations are rapidly declining.
In January 2003, the board released a special report that concluded potential habitat for marbled murrelet was being lost to forest development while the process for defining habitat areas drags on. The board recommended establishing interim wildlife habitat areas more quickly, and refining wildlife habitat area boundaries as soon as possible so that areas not needed by marbled murrelets can be developed. A follow-up report will be released in spring 2004, and will assess government's progress since the first report was released.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the forest practices legislation and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:
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Darlene Dahl
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 356-1340
1-800-994-5899
VICTORIA — Bruce Fraser is the new chair of the Forest Practices Board, Forests Minister Michael de Jong said today.
Fraser brings a longstanding commitment to sustainable resource management to the position. A forest ecologist by training, Fraser studied under Vladimir Krajina at the University of British Columbia. He has 17 years of experience as a consultant in the areas of community economic development, public participation in resource management and resource conflict resolution.
His consulting work also encompasses strategic planning for organizations and Fraser has already facilitated two strategic planning sessions for the board. As well, his contribution to scientific education began when he taught at Selkirk College in 1968 and continued through his term as president of Malaspina College in 1986.
Fraser’s three-year appointment is effective Nov. 21, 2003. He succeeds Bill Cafferata, who left the position after his term ended in January, and board member Liz Osborn, who has filled in as acting chair since April.
The other members of the board are vice-chair Osborn of Telkwa, Tyler Elm of Vancouver, Fred Lowenberger of Coquitlam and Dave Mannix of Nanaimo.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with forest practices legislation and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:
Kerry Readshaw
BC Ministry of Forests
A/Communications Director
250 387-8486
Darlene Dahl
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 356-1340
1-800-994-5899
VICTORIA – A Quesnel-area forest company is getting high marks from the Forest Practices Board for the way it managed mountain pine beetle, and for the light footprint it left on a recently-audited operating area.
The audit looked at Dunkley Lumber’s operations on Tree Farm Licence 53, about 80 kilometres south of Prince George and 40 kilometres north of Quesnel, just east of Highway 97. TFL 53 consists of about 87,600 hectares east of the Fraser River, in the Prince George forest district.
Auditors examined a wide range of forest practices carried out during the past year, including logging; road construction, maintenance and deactivation; forest protection; silviculture; and planning. This tree farm licence is subject to a severe mountain pine beetle attack, which prompted the deputy chief forester to increase the allowable annual cut by 109 per cent earlier in 2003. The majority of Dunkley’s harvesting activity in the TFL is focused on aggressively containing the spread of beetle by removing affected trees while the beetles are still in them.
In its audit report, the Forest Practices Board commends Dunkley for restoring a greater proportion of harvested land to a tree-producing state than required by the Forest Practices Code – and to a level that stands out for any company. The board also praised Dunkley for focusing its harvesting efforts on those areas hardest hit by the mountain pine beetle epidemic, while maintaining other forest values.
“We commend Dunkley for its intensive forest management practices, in particular regarding soil rehabilitation on cutblock landings and roads, and mountain pine beetle management,” said acting board chair, Liz Osborn. “It was very clear to our auditors that Dunkley is dedicated to, and focused, on maintaining forest values while minimizing the loss of timber.”
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Jacqueline Waldorf
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct an audit this October looking specifically at forest activities around streams in the Chilliwack Forest District.
Forest practices such as road construction, harvesting, road deactivation activities, and mechanical site-preparation treatments can have serious environmental impacts on water quality and fish habitat in streams. Poor forest practices can erode surface soils, potentially causing landslides that can harm fish and fish habitat and water sources, and can endanger public safety and property.
The Chilliwack Forest District was chosen at random for audit, and the streams focus was identified as appropriate for this area. The audit area covers the Chilliwack, West Harrison, Yale and Nahatlatch draft landscape units. These unconnected landscape units lie south, west, east and north of Harrison Lake respectively.
The audit will examine the operations of International Forest Products Ltd., Teal Cedar Products Ltd. and the BC Timber Sales Program for compliance with the Forest Practices Code and effectiveness of forest practices in conserving stream resources. The audit will look at practices in and around streams in the four landscape units for the period between Oct. 1, 2001 and Oct. 24, 2003.
The audit team is made up of two registered professional foresters, one professional biologist and one chartered accountant. They will be in the area for about 10 days, beginning Oct. 14. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit team will report its findings to the board. 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 forest practices legislation and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:
Jacqueline Waldorf
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct an audit this September looking specifically at forest activities related to the ongoing mountain pine beetle infestation in north-central BC.
Mountain pine beetles attack and kill mature trees by boring through the bark and mining the layer between the bark and wood of a tree. About half a billion trees have been killed by bark beetle attacks in B.C. in the past 80 years. Beetle infestations can increase the risk of forest fires and damage to environmental and wildlife values within affected areas.
The Vanderhoof Forest District was chosen at random for audit. The mountain pine beetle theme was identified as appropriate for this area. The audit area covers the 102,000-hectare Hallett landscape unit, just south of the community of Fraser Lake. This area is becoming one of the hardest hit by mountain pine beetle in the province, as the infestation moves aggressively north from the Tweedsmuir Park area.
The audit will examine the operations of L&M Lumber Ltd., Pacific Inland Resources, Fraser Lake Sawmills, BC Timber Sales and Canadian Forest Products Ltd. for compliance with the Forest Practices Code. It will examine all forestry activities related to mountain pine beetle management—including harvesting; road construction, maintenance and deactivation; and silviculture—for the period between Sept. 1, 2002 and Sept. 29, 2003.
The audit team is made up of five registered professional foresters. They will be in the area for about seven days, beginning Sept. 22. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit team will report its findings to the board. 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.
Information gathered in this audit will also be used as part of a special report the board is preparing on effectiveness of the government’s emergency bark beetle strategy in maintaining values such as timber, soil, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. The special project will involve examining mountain pine beetle harvest sites in the Nadina and Vanderhoof forest districts, as well as the results of other board audits conducted in areas affected by the mountain pine beetle.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with forest practices legislation and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:
Jacqueline Waldorf
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
