In April 2019, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint from a business owner and an environmental society (the complainants) who requested access to a hydrological assessment prepared for the Bastion Creek community watershed. The assessment was commissioned jointly for BC Timber Sales and Canoe Forest Products (the licensees).
In November 2017, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint about impacts to water quality in the Peachland and Trepanier community watersheds. The complainants asserted that forestry activities in the watersheds have negatively affected the quality of drinking water and increased the number of boil water advisory notices, resulted in stream bank erosion and caused a landslide off the Munroe Forest Service Road (FSR) into Peachland Creek.
Forestry activities complied with the legal requirements. There are many developments and activities in these watersheds, in addition to forestry, that can impact the water resource and it was not possible to differentiate between forestry and non-forestry impacts. The investigation determined that forestry activities did not cause impacts on human health that could not be addressed through water treatment. The landslide on the Munroe FSR was not caused by forestry activities and licensees maintained natural drainage patterns and maintained forestry roads consistent with the FPPR.
In November 2017, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint from a member of the public alleging that culverts at stream crossings on a section of forest road were removed and the channels filled with dirt, causing harm to fish and damage to fish habitat. The complaint also alleges that, despite reporting the situation to government’s compliance and enforcement program several days later, the issue was not investigated until he called back four months later to enquire about whether any action had been taken.
The Board found that damage to fish habitat had occurred and that natural surface drainage patterns were not maintained. The Board also found that government’s enforcement was not appropriate. Although government did investigate the situation, it did not fully consider several important factors, such as the presence of fish and subsequent damage to fish habitat.
The Board received a complaint from a property owner concerned that Tolko Industries Ltd.'s road construction and harvesting caused sediment to enter Malakwa Creek and damage his water system. The complainant was also concerned that Tolko's forestry activities damaged riparian areas and water courses.
Tolko adequately addressed the risks of its activities and acted quickly to review and address the complainant's concerns. The Board concluded Tolko was compliant with the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation. However, the Board could not confirm to what extent various factors, or combinations of factors, played in plugging the complainant's waterworks.
As part of its 2016 compliance audit program, the Forest Practices Board randomly selected the Okanagan-Shuswap Natural Resources District portion of BC Timber Sales' (BCTS) Okanagan–Columbia Business Area for a full scope compliance audit. The district stretches from the United States border in the south, to the Seymour River/Shuswap Lake in the north and presents many challenges for forestry managers. Notable features include the cities of Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton, and Adams, Shuswap, Mabel and Okanagan Lakes, and the Upper Seymour, Eagle and Similkameen Rivers. BCTS operates in 52 operating areas throughout the district.
The audit identified one area requiring improvement with respect to TSL holders not completing fire hazard assessments, and one significant non-compliance related to minor silviculture reporting errors on almost 20 percent of the cutblocks reviewed. However, BCTS is addressing these issues. It has altered its internal procedures to require that the timber sales licensees assesses, records and submits their fire hazard assessment forms to BCTS. BCTS is also implementing a monthly review of its silviculture data to compare and correct any deficiencies between its internal database and the government database.
