VICTORIA -Weldwood of Canada Ltd.’s operations in the Williams Lake timber supply area complied with Forest Practices Code requirements in all significant respects, says a report released today by the Forest Practices Board.
Weldwood’s Forest Licence A20017 is in the Cariboo forest region, between 150 Mile House and Horsefly. The audit examined the following activities, carried out between June 1, 1999, and June 15, 2000:
"We’re seeing a definite trend toward clean audits - a trend I hope to see continue," said board chair Bill Cafferata.
Weldwood’s forest licence was chosen for audit randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
This is the 39th compliance audit completed by the board. Eighteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty-one were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
fpboard@gems9.gov.bc.ca
VICTORIA -The forestry operations of West Fraser Mills Ltd. in the Morice forest district complied with Forest Practices Code requirements in all significant respects, says a report released today by the Forest Practices Board.
Forest Licence A16827 has an annual allowable cut of 713,896 cubic metres in an operating area near Houston, B.C. Operations under this forest licence are carried out by West Fraser and Houston Forest Products Company, which is a joint venture between Weldwood of Canada Ltd. and West Fraser.
West Fraser's forest licence was selected for audit randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The audit examined planning and field activities related to timber harvesting and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads between Aug. 1, 1999, and Aug. 15, 2000. Activities included:
"We're pleased to see this level of code compliance in such a large operation," said board chair Bill Cafferata. "It's also worth noting that West Fraser systematically reflected the code's Biodiversity Guidebook in its operational planning."
The Biodiversity Guidebook provides forest managers, planners and field staff with a recommended process for meeting biodiversity objectives - both landscape unit and stand level - as required in the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act and Regulations. A copy of the guidebook is available at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/fpc/fpcguide/biodiv/biotoc.htm on the Internet.
The audit of Forest Licence A16827 is the 38th compliance audit completed by the board. Seventeen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty-one were qualified audits, meaning there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
fpboard@gems9.gov.bc.ca
VICTORIA -A compliance audit found serious problems with aspects of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd.'s operations in Tree Farm Licence 44 on west Vancouver Island, the Forest Practices Board announced today.
The board found instances of significant non-compliance with the Forest Practices Code in windthrow management, road construction and bridge maintenance. Otherwise, operational planning; timber harvesting; road construction, maintenance and deactivation; silviculture and fire-protection activities by MacMillan Bloedel - now Weyerhaeuser - during the period of the audit complied with the code.
Tree Farm Licence 44 is near Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet and Bamfield. All of the company's activities in Clayoquot Sound were in compliance with the code.
The areas of significant code non-compliance were:
Weyerhaeuser has advised the board it has implemented a number of remedial actions since the audit took place, including improvements to its bridge inspection procedures.
"While these non-compliant practices did not necessarily result in harm to person or the environment, their frequency created the potential for greater cumulative environmental effects," said board vice-chair John Cuthbert.
Tree Farm Licence 44 was chosen at random for this compliance audit, which looked at specific practices conducted between July 1998 and August 1999.
Weyerhaeuser has until March 30 to respond to the board, confirming that it has addressed the board's recommendations for ensuring compliance with the code. Also, the Ministry of Forests' South Island forest district has until April 30 to confirm that Weyerhaeuser has addressed the recommendations in the audit report.
This is the 37th compliance audit completed by the board. Sixteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty-one were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
fpboard@gems9.gov.bc.ca
VICTORIA - The B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled that the Forest Practices Board can comment on practices that comply with the Forest Practices Code but do not meet the intent of the code.
"This decision confirms our ability to report on forest practices that comply with the law, but may not be good for the environment," said board vice-chair John Cuthbert. "It supports the board's mandate as a public watchdog that can fully report on the practices it finds in the field. This type of reporting allows the board to clarify its compliance findings and make recommendations to improve forest practices in the future."
The court's ruling, handed down today, responds to an appeal launched by Northwood Pulp and Timber Ltd. (now Canfor Corporation) in November 1999 after the B.C. Supreme Court confirmed the board's right to report its audit findings. Today's decision reinforces that court's recognition of the key role of the board in improving the code and making it more effective.
Canfor wanted a board audit report changed to remove references to forest practices that were in compliance with the code. Canfor argued that the board was outside its jurisdiction in criticizing those practices. The board argued that it must be able to comment about forest practices that comply with the code but are not considered sound - and make recommendations for change.
At issue in the board audit was excessive compaction and disturbance of soil on 10 logging sites. While the soil disturbance was within legal limits, the board was concerned that it damaged productivity of the site and could impair new growth. In addition to mentioning this practice in its report, the board has recommended that government change the code to prevent this situation from being repeated.
Since the audit, Canfor has responded positively to the board's recommendations and will be monitoring and evaluating effects on soil productivity on its logging sites. Government has also agreed to provide guidance on soil disturbance for Ministry of Forests district managers to prevent similar problems.
The board conducts random audits of forest company and Forests Ministry compliance with the code. The board's audit reports often include comments on problems as well as practices that exceed basic code requirements. The board reports its findings to the public and makes recommendations that are based on detailed examinations of practices in the field. Problems are reported even if the auditee is meeting basic code requirements.
The court decision is available at http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/ca/01/01/2001BCCA0141.htm on the Internet.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
VICTORIA -The Kamloops forest district's small business forest enterprise program complied with Forest Practices Code requirements in all significant respects, says a report released today by the Forest Practices Board.
Furthermore, the activities audited were consistent with the requirements of the Kamloops Land and Resource Management Plan, which was declared a higher level plan under the code in January 1996.
The report concludes the board's audit of the government-run program under which the Ministry of Forests awards timber sale licences to small businesses.
The Kamloops small business program was selected for audit randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The program has 20 defined operating areas spread throughout the district, from Dunn Lake in the north to Stump Lake in the south, and from Adams Lake in the east to Hat Creek Valley in the west. The major towns in the district are Kamloops, Cache Creek, Barriere and Chase.
The audit examined planning and field activities related to timber harvesting and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads between Sept. 1, 1999, and Sept. 10, 2000. Activities included harvesting on 50 cutblocks and 71 small-scale salvage timber sale licences; construction of 40.5 kilometres of road; maintenance of 800 kilometres of road, 140 kilometres of deactivated road, and seven bridges; deactivation of nine kilometres of road; approval of 45 silviculture prescriptions; and layout and design for six road sections.
"We're pleased to see more effort towards improvement in forest practices in recent audits of the small business forest enterprise program," said board chair Bill Cafferata.
The audit of the Kamloops small business forest enterprise program is the 36th compliance audit completed by the board. Sixteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
fpboard@gems9.gov.bc.ca
VICTORIA -The forestry operations of Skeena Cellulose Inc. complied with the Forest Practices Code in all significant respects, says a report released by the Forest Practices Board today.
The report concludes the board's audit of Forest Licence A16829, undertaken this past summer. The operating area for this licence is the Bulkley timber supply area, north of Smithers.
The audit examined road construction, maintenance and deactivation as well as timber harvesting activities carried out between Aug. 1, 1999, and Aug. 15, 2000.
Activities subject to audit included harvesting of 12 cutblocks; construction of 11.5 kilometres of road and one bridge; maintenance and seasonal deactivation of approximately 109 kilometres of road; maintenance of 15 bridges; and permanent deactivation of 10.4 kilometres of road.
Skeena's forest licence was selected randomly for audit, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
The Skeena audit is the 35th compliance audit completed by the board. Fifteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects.
Twenty were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
fpboard@gems9.gov.bc.ca
VICTORIA - Vague and contradictory parts of the Cariboo-Chilcotin land use plan are causing conflict and threatening its effectiveness, the Forest Practices Board says in a new report.
The report concludes the investigation of a complaint filed collectively by the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society, the Sustainable Committees Sector, the Quesnel River Watershed Alliance, the Horsefly District Tourism and Ratepayers Association, and the Quesnel Environmental Society. Complainants were concerned that the CCLUP is not being properly implemented and that forest development plans throughout the Cariboo forest region are not consistent with the management objectives of the CCLUP.
The CCLUP is policy intended to guide resource management. Only the parts of the CCLUP that have been declared by government to be a higher level plan are legally enforceable. However, according to the report, the cabinet order that created the higher level plan failed to identify precisely which parts of the CCLUP form the higher level plan.
Furthermore, the board found that some of the higher level plan's goals are vague or contradict each other. The plan does not specify where or how some goals, such as those for caribou winter ranges or backcountry recreation, are to be applied on the ground. This has created differing expectations and has resulted in conflict among government, industry and the public about the intent of the CCLUP and the legal commitments created through the higher level plan.
"The lack of clarity in parts of the higher level plan means government officials have been left to make decisions based on their own interpretations of key provisions of the plan," said board chair Bill Cafferata. "The board feels this is inappropriate."
Under the code, forest development plans must be consistent with the higher level plan. The board assessed 14 forest development plans for consistency with the higher level plan's goals for timber, biodiversity, caribou, mule deer, other wildlife, watershed integrity, visual quality and road access.
The board found all 14 forest development plans were consistent with the higher level plan's requirements for mule deer winter ranges, lake management, road access for botanical forest products, no-harvest areas, and visual quality in viewsheds surrounding tourism operations. However, the board also found government and forest company officials are applying policy direction that contradicts the higher level plan's goals for biodiversity and for caribou.
The board is concerned that forest practices approved in current forest development plans may become inconsistent with the higher level plan in the future.
Government officials and forest companies are using interpretations that allow forest development plans to increase permanent road access, disturb backcountry areas and disturb viewsheds around key lakes and tourism operations.
The board is also concerned that there is no way for the public to assess if forest development plans are implementing the targets and objectives of the higher level plan.
The board recommends that the ministers identify the specific elements of the CCLUP that constitute the higher level plan and endorse, through an order-in-council, all amendments to the higher level plan that have important social, economic or environmental impacts.
The board also recommends government take action to ensure its policy directions for implementation do not contradict the higher level plan.
Other recommendations to government include:
Defining locations where higher level plan goals (such as backcountry and no-harvest areas) are to be applied.
Developing an effective way to allow the public to assess and comment on proposed forestry developments relative to the higher level plan. Regularly monitoring whether, over time, forest development plans are achieving all of the higher level plan's goals.
Having a third party periodically assess the achievement of the higher level plan and report the results publicly.
The report emphasizes that all parties involved in the investigation want the CCLUP to succeed. "No one wants to return to a pre-CCLUP era," said Cafferata. "This is the first formally approved land use plan in the province, so it's not surprising there is room for improvement. There is now an opportunity to apply what has been learned here to other areas in B.C."
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Investigating public complaints.
Auditing government enforcement of the code.
Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
Undertaking special investigations of code-related forestry issues.
Participating in administrative reviews and appeals.
Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
VICTORIA -The forestry operations of International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor) in Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island complied with the Forest Practices Code in all significant respects, according to a Forest Practices Board audit released today.
The activities audited also complied with the relevant recommendations of the Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel.
The report concludes the board's audit of Tree Farm Licence 54 (TFL 54), held by Interfor. Ninety-two percent of the operating area for the TFL is within Clayoquot Sound on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.
The audit examined road construction, maintenance and deactivation as well as timber harvesting activities carried out between June 1, 1999, and June 9, 2000.
Activities subject to audit included harvesting of 16 cutblocks; operational planning for 10 approved silviculture prescriptions; construction of 3.8 kilometres of road outside Clayoquot Sound; maintenance and seasonal deactivation of approximately 75 kilometres of road; maintenance of 22 bridges; and permanent deactivation of 830 metres of road.
Interfor's TFL was selected randomly for audit, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
The Interfor audit is the 34th compliance audit completed by the board. Fourteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
VICTORIA-The forestry operations of LP Engineered Wood Products Ltd. north of Revelstoke complied with the Forest Practices Code in all significant respects, according to a Forest Practices Board audit released today.
The report notes the high degree of compliance in an operating area with steep terrain and high snowfall. Co-operation between LP Engineered Wood Products and local heli-skiing operators, which resulted in several cutblocks designed to provide skiing opportunities, is also mentioned.
The report concludes the board's audit of Tree Farm Licence 55, held by LP Engineered Wood Products Ltd., formerly Evans Forest Products Ltd., and managed by its Malakwa division. The operating area for this free farm licence is 90 kilometres north of Revelstoke, on the east side of the Columbia River.
The audit examined road construction, maintenance and deactivation; timber harvesting; and associated operational plans carried out between Aug. 1, 1999, and Aug. 25, 2000.
Activities subject to audit included harvesting of 23 cutblocks; preparing and obtaining approval of silviculture prescriptions for 11 cutblocks; construction of 25.7 kilometres of road; maintenance of about 200 kilometres of road and 14 bridges; and deactivation of 39.4 kilometres of road.
LP Engineered Wood Products' licence was selected randomly for audit, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
This is the 33rd compliance audit completed by the board. Thirteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Investigating public complaints.
Auditing government enforcement of the code.
Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
Undertaking special investigations of code-related forestry issues.
Participating in administrative reviews and appeals.
Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.
John Cuthbert,
Vice-Chair
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
Nicky Cain,
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
Victoria -The forestry operations of Atco Lumber Ltd. complied with the Forest Practices Code in all significant respects, according to a Forest Practices Board audit released today.
The report concludes the board's audit of Forest Licence A20218, held by Atco Lumber Ltd. The operating area for this licence is in the Kootenay Lake timber supply area south of Nelson.
The audit examined operational planning; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; timber harvesting; silviculture; and fire protection activities carried out between July 10, 1999, and July 12, 2000.
Activities subject to audit included the 1999-2004 forest development plan; harvesting of eight cutblocks; construction of 1.4 kilometres of road; maintenance of 85 kilometres of road and one bridge; deactivation of 5.5 kilometres of road; tree planting on 15 cutblocks; brushing on 14 cutblocks; and fire protection planning and infrastructure.
Atco's licence was selected randomly for audit, not on the basis of location or level of performance.
The Atco audit is the 32nd compliance audit completed by the board. Twelve were clean audits; meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code. Most non-compliance was related to logging practices near streams and the construction, maintenance and deactivation of logging roads.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.The board's main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
John Cuthbert,
Vice-Chair
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
Nicky Cain,
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
