The Forest Practices Board is concerned with the growing number of non-compliances showing up in recent audit reports, and is very concerned about how many of those non-compliances involve unsafe bridges. Based on these audit results, the Board undertook a special investigation of bridge planning, design and construction. Over the 2013 field season, the Board examined 216 bridges built on resource roads since January 2010 in five districts around the province.

The investigation focused on safety, protection of the environment and planning. Results were variable across the five districts and amongst builders.

Planning and practice requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act (WA) are the minimum legal requirement on public land in British Columbia. The government inspects licensees’ forest and range activities for compliance with these requirements and may take enforcement action for non-compliance. This helps to hold licensees accountable and is an indication that the legislation is working.

In 2010, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO)—the government ministry responsible for monitoring forest and range activities on public land—began inspecting activities other than forest and range as part of its new legislative responsibilities. In this report, the Board looked at the extent to which the government still inspects forest and range activities. It found the number of inspections of forest and range activities for the year ending March 31, 2012 were a third of the number carried out three years earlier.

This bulletin explores an important component of a sound planning and management framework for forest management —a process for involving the public, First Nations and stakeholders. This is the fourth in a series of five new Forest Practices Board bulletins describing important issues for forest management identified in recent Board work.

This bulletin explores professional reliance in BC forest management, and suggests that perhaps too many expectations are being placed on it, detracting from a more important analysis and discussion of other elements in our provincial forest management framework. It is the third in a series of five new Forest Practices Board bulletins describing important issues for forest management identified in recent Board work.