VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine forest planning and practices on 11 woodlots in the Nadina Resource District, starting Oct. 10, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between October 2015 and October 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Forestry is a major activity in the Burns Lake area, where the abundance of mature pine stands was a significant factor contributing to the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The beetle has killed most of the harvestable timber, leaving many of the woodlot licensees in this audit with challenges to salvage the dead timber.
The Nadina district was randomly selected for audit, and the board then selected woodlots as the focus of the audit. The woodlots are located in the Lakes Timber Supply Area, seven are near Burns Lake and four are near Francois Lake.
Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and government.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1-800 994-5899
CALGARY – Christopher R. Mosher, CPA, CA, EP(CEA), Director of Audits and Chief Financial Officer for the Forest Practices Board, is the recipient of the inaugural 2017 ECO Impact Award in the Auditor Impact category.
Chris was nominated for his work developing the Board’s field-based compliance audit program. “This award is really a recognition of the Forest Practices Board’s program and what staff and board members have accomplished over the past 21 years,” said Mosher. Chris has been an Environmental Professional (CEA) for 15 years, in addition to being a Chartered Professional Accountant.
The ECO Impact Awards were established as part of ECO Canada’s 25th anniversary celebration. The awards recognize outstanding environmental professionals and environmental professionals in-training who have provided innovative, impactful, productive or engaging solutions that further the environmental sector or who’ve led initiatives in their specialization or workplace. The award was presented September 28th at a ceremony in Calgary, Alberta.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
OPINION-EDITORIAL
by Tim Ryan
VICTORIA – Sept. 24-30, 2017 marks National Forest Week in Canada. Established around 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week, the origins were to encourage greater public awareness towards Canada’s forests. At the time, the greatest threat to forests came from forest fires, mainly due to human causes. Since then, National Forest Week, as it was renamed in 1967, has evolved to encompass the many and varied human and environmental aspects of Canada’s forest resources ― past, present and future. While much has changed in the last century, one could be forgiven for concluding that once again, the greatest threat comes from forest fires, only now due in large part to climate change.
The 2017 fire season began slowly, with a wet and cooler than normal spring, but took off on about July 7 and remains in full swing. This year dwarfed the historic records for area burned in British Columbia at well over a million hectares, or 12,000 square kilometres, and it’s still going. The effects on people, wildlife and our forest economy will be felt for many years to come. Consider also that 2017 was the driest year ever recorded in many parts of B.C. ― by a significant margin, according to Environment Canada. Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, Kelowna and Cranbrook all had their driest summer since records have been kept. As of early September, Kamloops had only nine millimetres of rain and the average is 93. Kelowna had seven millimetres of rain and usually gets about 110.
In 2010 and again in 2015, the Forest Practices Board reported on progress implementing the 2003 Filmon recommendations to reduce the risk of wildfire damage to communities. Our reports, Fuel Management in the Wildland Urban Interface (2010) and Fuel Management in the Wildland Urban Interface –Update (2015), made a number of recommendations and suggestions for how to reduce the risk to property and lives. We would like to be able to say that significant progress has been made and the risks are being adequately addressed, but that’s not the case.
From 2008 to 2017, B.C. has spent an average of $200 million a year on wildfire suppression. In contrast, our 2015 report found that just $60 million was invested in wildland fire prevention in the preceding 10 years and only a fraction of the necessary area was treated. Since our 2015 report came out, less than $20 million more has been spent on prevention work.
Our findings highlight B.C.’s need to get ahead of the game through wildfire prevention and readiness, so we can save on the costs of fighting fires and, more importantly, reduce the risks to people’s homes, properties and lives, and to local businesses and infrastructure.
Many communities in B.C. have a community wildfire-protection plan, but a plan doesn’t help if it’s not implemented and hazard fuels are not treated. In June of this year, we were in Cranbrook meeting with city officials, the fire chief, forest companies and community groups. A big topic of conversation was the risk of interface fires and the lack of progress in treating hazardous forest-fuel build up around the community. By early September, there were two interface fires within 18 kilometres of the city.
Community wildfire protection plans require sustainable funding for fuel reduction treatments and retreatments. All parties need to find ways to treat more area effectively at a lower cost. This includes accepting prescribed burning as an efficient and effective treatment in the right circumstances and engaging the forest industry in carrying out fuel-reduction treatments.
The role of local government needs to be re-examined to capitalize on their strengths. Local governments do not generally have technical expertise in forest-fuel reduction, nor should every municipality. But local governments are very good at co-ordination, facilitation and community consultation. Perhaps the Province could provide the technical expertise, while local governments provide co-ordination and communication.
Private property owners also have a responsibility to take the necessary precautions to FireSmart their houses and buildings, and the forested areas on their property, to reduce the risk of damage and to assist firefighters.
It’s time for B.C. to start being proactive — not reactive — when it comes to wildland fire. What’s needed is leadership to galvanize action and for all parties to get involved ― the Province, municipal governments, First Nations, the forest industry and individual citizens. No one party can make a difference on their own. The reports and the recommendations are all there. Let’s not waste any more time with reviews and evaluations of what went wrong; the current fire season isn’t over yet and the next one is only six months away. It’s time for action.
Find the Forest Practices Board’s reports at: www.bcfpb.ca
Information on FireSmart can be found at: https://www.firesmartcanada.ca/
Tim Ryan is the chair of BC’s Forest Practices Board – the public’s independent watchdog for sound forest practices in British Columbia. Prior to that he worked in the forest industry in a variety of leadership roles across Western Canada and the U.S.
Contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
250 213-4705
1 800 994-5899 (toll-free)
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Downie Street Sawmills on forest licence A31102, near Revelstoke, during the week of Oct. 2, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between October 2015 and October 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, as well as the requirements of the Revelstoke Higher Level Plan Order. The order requires the licensee to comply with government objectives for biodiversity emphasis, mature and old forests, and caribou and grizzly bear habitat management.
Forest licence A31102 is located in the Selkirk Resource District, in the Revelstoke Timber Supply Area and has an allowable annual cut of 130,600 cubic metres per year. Downie’s forestry activities are located adjacent to the Trans Canada Highway and Mount Revelstoke National Park and include tributaries of the Columbia River, from the Akolkolex River to the Mica Dam
Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and government.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An investigation of forestry roads constructed on steep terrain has found mixed results.
While most of the road sections examined met the legal requirements, and some were very well done, others did not adhere to professional practice guidelines and several road sections were structurally unsafe, according to a report released today.
The board looked at the design, construction and deactivation of 26 segments of road, built on steep terrain between 2012 and 2016, in five natural resource districts throughout the province. The roads were examined for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and adherence to professional practice guidelines issued jointly by the professional foresters’ and the professional engineers’ regulatory bodies.
“We saw some examples of excellent road construction practices and these are highlighted in our report,” said board vice-chair, Bill McGill. “We also saw some roads that were not well built and six road segments were not considered safe for road users due to construction deficiencies. Steep roads present the greatest risks to the environment and to user safety and it is critical that they be constructed carefully and with the involvement of qualified terrain specialists.”
The report recommends that government review the current legal requirements for road construction in steep terrain and consider whether there is a need for additional requirements. It also recommends that the Association of BC Forest Professionals and the Engineers and Geoscientists BC address the professional practice issues identified in the investigation.
Roads on steep slopes represent a very small portion of the roads constructed each year in B.C., but have long been identified as a cause of slumps, landslides and, in some cases, impacts to fish streams and private property. Provincial legislation requires new roads to be safe for industrial use and they must not damage forest resources. Forest licensees and the professionals they employ determine how this result is achieved and they decide where roads are built, when and how. In doing so, they are expected to use recommended procedures and guidelines, and to obtain professional expert advice when appropriate.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board can investigate and report on current forestry and range issues and make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Canadian Forest Products Ltd. on forest licence A17007 during the week of Sept. 11, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether forestry activities carried out between September 2016 and September 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. Canfor has not harvested any timber under this licence since 2008, so the audit will focus mainly on road and bridge maintenance, silviculture obligations and fire protection.
FL A17007 is located in the Fort Nelson Resource District, in the Fort Nelson Timber Supply Area (TSA). The TSA is bordered by Alberta to the east and the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory to the north. Most of the sites that will be audited are to the east of the Rocky Mountains.
When the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and government.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Darlene Oman
Communications
Forest Practices Board
250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board released its 2016/17 annual report today, which summarizes the board’s work over the past year and highlights current projects underway.
“We produce this annual report to show what the board sees in forest practices and forest management performance, what the board is finding in our work, and to give the public an idea of the state of stewardship of our forests and where improvement can be made,” said board chair, Tim Ryan. “The board’s work illustrates a picture of forest stewardship today.”
During 2016/17, the board published 28 reports, carried out 10 new audits, received 13 new complaints from the public, and started work on two new special projects. Topics reported on this year range from maintenance of a forest service road, to protection of visual quality, to maintenance of grassland ecosystems. The board also issued a bulletin regarding fire hazard assessments to raise forest industry awareness of this common finding in board audits.
The annual report also highlights responses to recommendations from previous reports, including Forest Stewardship Plans: Are They Meeting Expectations? and District Managers’ Authority Over Forest Operations.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An investigation of a public complaint about management of a threatened grizzly bear population in the Kettle-Granby area has found that the B.C. government has not effectively managed the risk forestry roads pose to the bears and forestry licensees have not met the road density limits recommended by government.
“Government does not have a recovery strategy for this grizzly bear population and never completed its promised recovery plan work,” said board chair Tim Ryan. “Research indicates that limiting road density and road use are effective approaches as grizzly bear numbers are often higher in areas with fewer roads.”
“Government chose to rely on forest professionals and forest licensees to voluntarily reduce the amount of forestry road in the Kettle-Granby area, rather than making it a legal requirement, but that did not happen,” said Ryan. “It’s time for government to revisit its approach to management of this threatened bear population, implement an access management planning process, and consider the use of legal tools.”
The report includes a number of recommendations for government to review and update its approach to managing this grizzly bear population.
Grizzly bears are blue-listed in B.C. and ranked as a “high priority” for conservation. The grizzly bear population in the Kettle-Granby area has been a concern since the 1990s because of its low numbers. It appears this population has stabilized or increased in the last 20 years, but it remains threatened and is only about half of what the area is estimated to support.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board investigates public complaints about forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Kairry Nguyen, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4707 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of Gwa’Nak Resources Ltd. on forest licences A93095, A93096 and A75918, north of Port Hardy along the Belize Inlet, during the week of Aug. 14, 2017.
Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between August 2015 and August 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Characterized by rugged mountains and numerous inlets, the audit area is remote and only accessible by boat or helicopter. Part of the Great Bear Rainforest, the area is ecologically diverse, supporting a range of wildlife including marbled murrelets, goshawks, grizzly bears and salmon, and is a popular area for fishing and tourism.
Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations then will be released to the public and government.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.
The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
VICTORIA – An audit of a range agreement for grazing cattle in the Thompson River Natural Resource District found that the ranchers generally met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, according to a report released today. The audit examined range activities on RAN077749, which is held by Archie Williams and Cash Isnardy.
“Auditors found one area for improvement, which involved grazing cattle in a pasture they were supposed to have moved out of already,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “There was also some confusion about the boundary of the range tenure adjacent to Arrowstone Park and government is working with the ranchers to clarify this situation.
“Aside from these items, all other range practices were carried out in accordance with the plans and the ranchers are doing a good job meeting their obligations for cattle grazing on Crown lands,” Ryan added.
The range agreement area is 2,773 hectares in size and is located 2.4 kilometres north of Cache Creek. Auditors’ work involved interviewing the range agreement holder, as well as ministry staff, reviewing the range use plan and maps, and examining the majority of activities undertaken in the field within the two-year audit period of September 2014 to September 2016.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.
Contact:
Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1 800 994-5899
