Originally published in 2008, this report was revised and re-published in January 2009. Revisions were made to correct data errors and to clarify the Board’s views on the findings of the investigation. The conclusions and recommendations in the original report did not change.
This investigation examines the sustainability of timber supply in areas with high retention harvesting on the Queen Charlotte Islands and the central and northern B.C. coast, by assessing post-harvest stand structure and condition in recent cutblocks. The investigation found high-grading of cedar and some spruce trees—selectively removing the valuable cedar and spruce trees, leaving behind mainly old rotting hemlock trees spread across the cutblock. The investigation also found that important social and environmental values such as viewscapes and biodiversity, often cited as the reason for using this method, were protected.
Triumph Timber Ltd.’s activities near Prince Rupert complied with legislative requirements, including operations in isolated operating areas accessible only by aircraft or boat. The licensees employed good environmental practices to minimize the impact of logging on marine mammals and initiated an adaptive approach to applying eco-system based management in the audit area.
This report by the Forest Practices Board sets out what the Board believes to be a comprehensive, verifiable and science-based framework within which to begin to assess the effectiveness of forest practices in conserving biological diversity.
Of the forest values identified in the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), biodiversity is considered by many to be the most complex to manage and conserve.Biodiversity encompasses a variety of ecological conditions that change naturally over time and to be effective at conserving biodiversity, it is important that forest companies, agencies and government understand, manage and conserve the important elements of biodiversity over time.
S.W.C Holdings Limited’s forest planning and practices on forest licence A16848 in the Mid-Coast Timber Supply area complied with forest practices legislations.
For several years, a Prince Rupert resident (the complainant) has been concerned about the potential effect of dropping logs into the ocean near feeding areas for humpback whales. The complainant asked the Board to investigate whether the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act, or its regulations (the Code), provided a mechanism to manage such impacts from coastal forestry operations.
The Northern Pacific Humpback Whale is one of several species of whales found in British Columbia. The humpback is a large whale, up to 14 metres in length and weighing from 25 to 40 tonnes. In May 2003, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada classified the North Pacific Humpback Whale as threatened.” The North Pacific population is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). This means that the whales are protected from harassment, killing, harm, or capture. SARA aims to protect species-at-risk from becoming extinct, and ensures that recovery action plans are put in place to conserve them.
