Victoria - Today, the Forest Practices Board begins the fieldwork portion of an audit of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44, held by MacMillan Bloedel Limited. The TFL is located on the west side of Vancouver Island with operating areas south to the Carmanah Valley and Nitinat Lake and north through the Clayoquot Sound area.

This is a full scope audit that will examine construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads, as well as forest harvesting, silviculture, protection and operational planning activities for compliance with the Forest Practices Code.

The Board's nine-person audit team will be in the licence area over the next three weeks performing office and field examinations of numerous timber harvest areas and many kilometres of roads. The licence was selected randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The Forest Practices Board is required to carry out periodic independent audits to determine government and forest company compliance with the planning and forest practices requirements of the Forest Practices Code.

Once the fieldwork has been completed, the audit team will provide a report on the findings to the members of the Forest Practices Board. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings must be given an opportunity to respond before the Board prepares its final report and recommendations and releases it to the public and the government.

To date, the Board has completed 23 audits - 17 forest companies and 5 Ministry of Forests Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs. Eighteen of these audits have been completed and published. Six were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met Code requirements in all significant respects. The remainder were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the Code. Most of the non-compliance related to logging practices near streams and logging road construction and maintenance. The Board plans to undertake nine new compliance audits in 1999.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent agency, established in 1995, that provides reports to the public and government about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The Board's main roles are: auditing forest practices; undertaking investigations in response to public complaints; undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues; participating in administrative reviews and appeals; and providing reports to the public and government on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

Victoria - Forest practices in BC have improved significantly and the environmental impacts associated with logging and road construction have been reduced. That is one of the main conclusions of the 1998 Annual Report of the Forest Practices Board, tabled yesterday in the BC Legislature. "There is some good news here. Forest companies, government and the public should be pleased with these results of the Forest Practices Code," said Board Chair Keith Moore.

The Board also observed some significant non-compliance with some important Code requirements, mainly for protecting small streams and for logging road construction. And there are some key provisions relating to the protection of wildlife and biodiversity that have not been implemented.

"We believe government needs to keep the positive results of the Code in mind as it considers further changes to reduce costs and make the Code more efficient, and it needs to implement the measures to protect wildlife and biodiversity," said Moore.

We recognize the need for cutting costs in the forest sector and improving Code efficiency, but BC can't afford to cut standards while reducing logging costs. It's not only the environmental risks that matter. If BC can't demonstrate that it is producing forest products sustainably, people won't be buying what we have to sell. More than ever, BC needs an effective Code to be able to demonstrate that we are practising sustainable forest management and that the forest environment is being protected."

"Some of the unanticipated increase in logging costs attributed to the Code actually resulted from constant changes to the Code. Just as government and industry people get some experience and comfort with what the Code requires, more changes are made," said Moore. "What we really need is a period of stability - a stable Act, regulations and policy framework, stable funding and staff complements for the ministries that implement the Code - and a stable working environment with ongoing training and clear policy direction so that people can implement the Code efficiently and effectively." Moore added.

The Board agrees with government that a more results-based Code is a desirable objective, but cautions that better forest development plans are needed before moving any further in that direction. "Better plans don't mean bigger plans," said Moore. "The main thing is to clearly identify the resource values in the area and define the management objectives. We need to complete land-use plans to do that."

The growing interest in forest certification shows that the future of BC's most important industry may depend on being able to demonstrate responsible forest management," said Moore. As the only independent "certifier" of forest practices in BC at the moment, the Board is uniquely positioned to provide guidance to those national and international organizations that certify and those companies that seek certification.

During 1998 the Board undertook nine forest practice compliance audits and 13 investigations of complaints from the public. Eleven audit reports and eight complaint investigation reports were released, some of which were started in previous years. The Board also completed two special investigations and participated in seven appeals at the Forest Appeals Commission.

Highlights of work in 1998 include:

Special Investigation of Coastal Streams - The Board's report showed dramatic improvements in forest practices near coastal streams and significantly less environmental impacts compared to pre-Code days. However, there are some continuing problems with inadequate riparian reserves and improper practices due to misclassification of streams.

Challenges of Forest Development Plans - The Board challenged three forest development plans. Administrative review decisions on two of the three challenges indicate fairly low standards for information that must be included in plans presented to the public and government, which causes the Board some concern.

Changes to the Forest Practices Code - While the Board supported many of the government's 1998 Code changes, concerns were expressed to government about reducing the public's opportunities to review and comment on operational plans.

In 1998, Board members Cindy Pearce and Jack Toovey completed their terms, each having served with the Board since its creation in 1995. Frances Vyse also completed her term last month. Four new members were appointed to the Board in March 1999: Fred Parker, Ingrid Davis, Mark Haddock and Liz Osborn were all appointed for three year terms. Cabinet appoints members to the Board on the basis of their knowledge and experience with forestry issues. Board members reside in communities throughout the province.

The Board is BC's independent watchdog for sound forest practices, providing British Columbians with objective and independent assessments of the state of forest planning and practices in the province, compliance with the Code, and the achievement of its intent.

The Board's main roles are: auditing forest practices, undertaking investigations in response to public complaints, undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues, participating in administrative reviews and appeals and providing reports on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

Victoria - Today, the Forest Practices Board begins the fieldwork portion of an audit of Forest Licence A16830, held by Pacific Inland Resources, a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd. The operating areas for this division are located in the Bulkley Forest District, including the Bulkley Valley, close to Smithers, Telkwa, Moricetown and Fort Babine.

This is a full scope audit that will examine construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads, as well as forest harvesting, silviculture, protection and operational planning activities for compliance with the Forest Practices Code.

The Board's six-person audit team will be in the licence area over the next two weeks performing office and field examinations of numerous timber harvest areas and many kilometres of roads.

The licence was selected randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The Forest Practices Board is required to carry out periodic independent audits to determine government and forest company compliance with the planning and forest practices requirements of the Forest Practices Code.

Once the fieldwork has been completed, the audit team will provide a report on the findings to the members of the Forest Practices Board. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings must be given an opportunity to respond before the Board prepares its final report and recommendations and releases it to the public and the government.

To date, the Board has completed 23 audits - 17 forest companies and five Ministry of Forests Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs. Eighteen of these audits have been completed and published. Six were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met Code requirements in all significant respects. The remainder were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the Code. Most of the non-compliance related to logging practices near streams and logging road construction and maintenance. The Board plans to undertake nine new compliance audits in 1999.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent agency, established in 1995, that provides reports to the public and government about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The Board's main roles are: auditing forest practices; undertaking investigations in response to public complaints; undertaking special investigations of any Code-related forestry issues; participating in administrative reviews and appeals; and providing reports to the public and government on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

VICTORIA- Forest practices in the Ministry of Forests' Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) in the Boundary Forest District complied with most requirements of the Forest Practices Code, but there was poor performance in several important areas. These results are reported in a Forest Practices Board audit released today.

The district’s road deactivation activities did not meet Forest Practices Code requirements. Roads that were deactivated were not identified in the district’s forest development plan, and there was a lack of signs on the roads. "The public would not know which roads are planned for deactivation or were actually deactivated. This could result in safety issues, loss of access and confusion about what access is available," said Keith Moore, Chair of the Forest Practices Board.

In addition, deactivation performed on several roads was not adequate to control water flow and stabilize the roads. Inadequate deactivation resulted in the deposit of sediment into a stream and caused two slides. "The Board is concerned that severe impacts can occur if roads are not properly deactivated," said Moore.

Timber harvesting practices generally complied with Code requirements, however the audit identified numerous instances of non-compliance. In several cases, harvesting activities did not comply with operational plans.

In several areas approved for partial cutting substantially more trees were cut than authorized. In another instance, the district did not take adequate measures to ensure identified cultural heritage resource values were protected during harvesting.

"The district was being innovative by implementing partial cutting systems and a variety of logging methods," said Moore. "However, plans must reflect the forest conditions and be achievable. It is also important that the district closely supervise operations to ensure the objectives are met and the planned number of trees are left. Operators need to have the right skill, experience and equipment to carry out the complex plans."

During road construction, there were many instances where culverts were not installed or ditches were not constructed, or those constructed did not meet the requirements of approved construction plans or the Code. While the individual instances of non-compliance were not significant, the frequency of the non-compliance was.

The district’s road maintenance activities generally complied with the Code. However, the Board’s opinion in this part of the audit applies to those roads that access current SBFEP operating areas because the district could not identify all roads that are the responsibility of the SBFEP to maintain.

In its report, the Board makes a number of recommendations to the district to improve its procedures and ensure that operations under the SBFEP comply with the Code in the future. The Board also recommended that the district investigate and take enforcement action to address non-compliance.

The operations of the Boundary SBFEP are conducted in numerous locations around Grand Forks extending north from the Washington-British Columbia border to Big White Mountain, and east from the West Kettle River to Christina Lake.

The audit examined the district’s timber harvesting and road practices, including related operational planning for the period September 1, 1996 to September 15, 1997.

The Boundary SBFEP was randomly selected for audit from the Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs in each forest district in the province. The SBFEP is a program under which the Ministry of Forests awards timber sale licences to small business licensees. The Ministry of Forests and the individual licensees each have separate but interrelated roles and responsibilities within the program. The district is responsible for managing the SBFEP, including preparing and approving operational plans, much of the road construction, maintenance and deactivation, and meeting silviculture obligations. The district has a close working relationship with each licensee and an overall responsibility for managing the SBFEP and also ensuring that licensees have met their Code obligations.

Created in 1995, the Forest Practices Board is BC’s independent watchdog for sound forest practices. The Board provides British Columbians with objective and independent assessments of the state of forest planning and practices in the province, compliance with the Code, and the achievement of its intent. The Board’s main roles are: auditing forest practices, undertaking investigations in response to public complaints, undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues, participating in administrative reviews and appeals and providing reports on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

VICTORIA- Forest practices in the Ministry of Forests' Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) in the Boundary Forest District complied with most requirements of the Forest Practices Code, but there was poor performance in several important areas. These results are reported in a Forest Practices Board audit released today.

The district’s road deactivation activities did not meet Forest Practices Code requirements. Roads that were deactivated were not identified in the district’s forest development plan, and there was a lack of signs on the roads. "The public would not know which roads are planned for deactivation or were actually deactivated. This could result in safety issues, loss of access and confusion about what access is available," said Keith Moore, Chair of the Forest Practices Board.

In addition, deactivation performed on several roads was not adequate to control water flow and stabilize the roads. Inadequate deactivation resulted in the deposit of sediment into a stream and caused two slides. "The Board is concerned that severe impacts can occur if roads are not properly deactivated," said Moore.

Timber harvesting practices generally complied with Code requirements, however the audit identified numerous instances of non-compliance. In several cases, harvesting activities did not comply with operational plans.

In several areas approved for partial cutting substantially more trees were cut than authorized. In another instance, the district did not take adequate measures to ensure identified cultural heritage resource values were protected during harvesting.

"The district was being innovative by implementing partial cutting systems and a variety of logging methods," said Moore. "However, plans must reflect the forest conditions and be achievable. It is also important that the district closely supervise operations to ensure the objectives are met and the planned number of trees are left. Operators need to have the right skill, experience and equipment to carry out the complex plans."

During road construction, there were many instances where culverts were not installed or ditches were not constructed, or those constructed did not meet the requirements of approved construction plans or the Code. While the individual instances of non-compliance were not significant, the frequency of the non-compliance was.

The district’s road maintenance activities generally complied with the Code. However, the Board’s opinion in this part of the audit applies to those roads that access current SBFEP operating areas because the district could not identify all roads that are the responsibility of the SBFEP to maintain.

In its report, the Board makes a number of recommendations to the district to improve its procedures and ensure that operations under the SBFEP comply with the Code in the future. The Board also recommended that the district investigate and take enforcement action to address non-compliance.

The operations of the Boundary SBFEP are conducted in numerous locations around Grand Forks extending north from the Washington-British Columbia border to Big White Mountain, and east from the West Kettle River to Christina Lake.

The audit examined the district’s timber harvesting and road practices, including related operational planning for the period September 1, 1996 to September 15, 1997.

The Boundary SBFEP was randomly selected for audit from the Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs in each forest district in the province. The SBFEP is a program under which the Ministry of Forests awards timber sale licences to small business licensees. The Ministry of Forests and the individual licensees each have separate but interrelated roles and responsibilities within the program. The district is responsible for managing the SBFEP, including preparing and approving operational plans, much of the road construction, maintenance and deactivation, and meeting silviculture obligations. The district has a close working relationship with each licensee and an overall responsibility for managing the SBFEP and also ensuring that licensees have met their Code obligations.

Created in 1995, the Forest Practices Board is BC’s independent watchdog for sound forest practices. The Board provides British Columbians with objective and independent assessments of the state of forest planning and practices in the province, compliance with the Code, and the achievement of its intent. The Board’s main roles are: auditing forest practices, undertaking investigations in response to public complaints, undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues, participating in administrative reviews and appeals and providing reports on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

Queen Charlotte City – The Forest Practices Board says the proposed transfer of Crown forest lands to MacMillan Bloedel as compensation for park creation is not a good idea. The Board suggests that if compensation is required, an alternative means should be found. The Board will make its position known at the public hearing in Queen Charlotte City this evening.

The Board has four main reasons for its opposition to the government's proposed settlement with MacMillan Bloedel: the proposal would eliminate the ability to manage forest resources at a watershed level; the public would lose its current right to have a say about forest practices on those lands and may lose access; sound forest practices and public confidence would be threatened; and once land is in private hands there is no turning back.

The Board's views are based on its findings that the Forest Practices Code has resulted in significant improvements to forest practices on public lands where it applies. Removing the Code requirements from these lands could result in losing the benefits the Code has brought about. The private land regulations that would apply to these lands have lower standards than the Code. "Responsible management of the land would be based on the commitment of the owner of the land and ownership can change at any time," said Moore. "While government has some say in the transfer of rights to harvest timber on public lands, it would have no such input once the lands become private. Any ability to ensure protection of public values and benefits to local communities will be lost forever."

The Forest Practices Board is BC’s independent watchdog for sound forest practices. The Board provides British Columbians with objective and independent assessments of the state of forest planning and practices in the province, compliance with the Code, and the achievement of its intent. The Board’s main roles are: auditing forest practices, undertaking investigations in response to public complaints, undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues, participating in administrative reviews and appeals and providing reports on Board activities, findings and recommendations

Victoria - Today, the Forest Practices Board began an audit of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 25, held by Western Forest Products Ltd. The areas covered by the audit within the TFL include the Sewell Inlet operation, located in the Queen Charlotte Islands south of Sandspit, and the Rodrick and Yeo operations, located west of Bella Bella in the Mid-coast.

The audit will examine roads and harvesting, and the related operational planning, for compliance with the Forest Practices Code.

The Board’s five-person audit team will be in the licence area over the next two weeks performing field examinations of numerous timber harvest areas and many kilometres of roads.

The licence was selected randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The Forest Practices Board is required to carry out periodic independent audits to determine government and forest company compliance with the planning and forest practices requirements of the Forest Practices Code.

Once the fieldwork has been completed, the audit team will provide a report on the findings to the members of the Forest Practices Board. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings must be given an opportunity to respond before the Board prepares its final report and recommendations and releases it to the public and the government.

To date, the Board has completed 22 audits – 17 forest companies and five Ministry of Forests Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs. Seventeen of these audits have been completed and published. Six were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met Code requirements in all significant respects. The remainder were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the Code. Most of the non-compliance related to logging practices near streams and logging road construction and maintenance. The Board plans to undertake nine new compliance audits in 1999.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent agency, established in 1995, that provides reports to the public and government about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The Board’s main roles are: auditing forest practices; undertaking investigations in response to public complaints; undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues; participating in administrative reviews and appeals; and providing reports to the public and government on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

VICTORIA- A Forest Practices Board audit released today finds that the Ministry of Forests' Small Business Forest Enterprise Program (SBFEP) in the Arrow Forest District generally complied with Forest Practices Code requirements.

One instance of significant non-compliance was identified. This involved plans to harvest two cutblocks that, in order to maintain biodiversity, should not be harvested.

"The Arrow SBFEP was randomly selected for audit from the Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs in each forest district in the province," said Board Chair, Keith Moore. "The audit found that, except for the item of significant non-compliance, the forest planning and practices of the Arrow SBFEP complied with Code requirements in all significant respects. The practices in the Arrow SBFEP had a much higher level of compliance than other SBFEPs we have audited."

The significant non-compliance relates to two cutblocks that were approved in mature and old-growth forest types where no harvesting should have been planned. These two blocks were not consistent with agreed-to biodiversity objectives for the maintenance of mature and old timber. These objectives were developed in the Kootenay Boundary Land Use Plan Implementation Strategy.

"Biodiversity objectives were developed through the land-use planning process and they set public expectations for how areas will be managed. Those objectives must then be carried through in the forest development plan if the public is to have confidence that the agreements reached in the land-use planning process will be implemented on the ground," said Moore.

The district has advised the Board that the two cutblocks have not been harvested and will be deferred from harvest until old growth management areas have been established across the district.

As with three other Board audits, a problem with old roads was also identified. There are extensive old road systems in the Arrow Forest District that have been used in the past for logging and mining activities. There appears to be no party with legal responsibility under the Code for maintenance or deactivation of these roads. Some of these roads need remediation work or deactivation to prevent impacts to the environment from occurring. As in previous audits, the Board urges government to assess this situation.

The audit examined timber harvesting and road construction, maintenance and deactivation practices, and the related operational plans, under the SBFEP, consisting of:

• 33 cutblocks harvested;
• 68 salvage and cash sale cutblocks harvested;
• 38 km of road constructed;
• 83 km of road maintenance; and
• 22.9 km of semi-permanent road deactivation.

The Arrow SBFEP operates within the Arrow Forest District, which is located in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia and includes the Arrow Lakes and the Slocan Valley. The nearest major town in the district is Castlegar. The SBFEP is a program under which the Ministry of Forests awards timber sale licences to small business licensees. The Ministry of Forests and the individual licensees each have separate but interrelated roles and responsibilities within the program. The district is responsible for managing the SBFEP and ensuring that the licensee has complied with the Code.

The Arrow SBFEP has an allowable annual cut of approximately 158,000 cubic metres with operations scattered throughout the district. The actual volume cut during the audit period- September 1, 1997 to October 2, 1998-was approximately 173,000 cubic metres.

Created in 1995, the Forest Practices Board is BC's independent watchdog for sound forest practices. The Board provides British Columbians with objective and independent assessments of the state of forest planning and practices in the province, compliance with the Code, and the achievement of its intent. The Board's main roles are: auditing forest practices, undertaking investigations in response to public complaints, undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues, participating in administrative reviews and appeals and providing reports on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

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Victoria - Today, the Forest Practices Board began an audit of Forest Licence A18671, held by Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd. The operating area for this licence is in the South Okanagan on both sides of Okanagan Lake close to Westbank, Naramata and Summerland, as well as south of that area around Keremeos.

The audit will examine logging roads and timber harvesting, and the related operational planning, for compliance with the Forest Practices Code.

The Board's six-person audit team will be in the licence area over the next three weeks performing office and field examinations of numerous timber harvest areas and many kilometres of roads.

The licence was selected randomly, not on the basis of location or level of performance. The Forest Practices Board is required to carry out periodic independent audits to determine government and forest company compliance with the planning and forest practices requirements of the Forest Practices Code.

Once the fieldwork has been completed, the audit team will provide a report on the findings to the members of the Forest Practices Board. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings must be given an opportunity to respond before the Board prepares its final report and recommendations and releases it to the public and the government.

To date, the Board has completed 22 audits-17 forest companies and five Ministry of Forests Small Business Forest Enterprise Programs. Sixteen of these audits have been completed and published. Six were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met Code requirements in all significant respects. The remainder were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the Code. Most of the non-compliance related to logging practices near streams and logging road construction and maintenance. The Board plans to undertake nine new compliance audits in 1999.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent agency, established in 1995, that provides reports to the public and government about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The Board's main roles are: auditing forest practices; undertaking investigations in response to public complaints; undertaking special investigations of any Code related forestry issues; participating in administrative reviews and appeals; and providing reports to the public and government on Board activities, findings and recommendations.