In September 2016, the Forest Practices Board audited range planning and practices on five agreements for grazing in the Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District. This is the audit report for two of those agreements, RAN077495 and RAN077496. These two overlapping tenures are located north of Chase. Results for the other three range agreements are reported separately. The audit involved assessing compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act, including the required content of range use plans and whether agreement holders met practice requirements, such as protection of riparian areas, upland areas, licensed waterworks and maintenance of range developments.
The audit identified a significant finding regarding water quality and an area requiring improvement related to riparian areas.
In September 2016, the Forest Practices Board audited range planning and practices on five agreements for grazing in the Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District. This is the audit report for two of those agreements, RAN077532 located north of Barriere and RAN077579 located north of Kamloops. Results for the other three range agreements are reported separately. The audit involved assessing compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act, including the required content of range use plans and whether agreement holders met practice requirements such as protection of riparian areas, upland areas, licensed waterworks and maintenance of range developments.
Both range agreement holders passed the audit with one having an area for improvement regarding documenting changes to the grazing schedule and the other had two areas for improvement related to grazing schedules and riparian areas.
An experienced forest worker was concerned that Tolko had not removed all the trees it felled to trap Douglas-fir bark beetle before the insects emerged and that some of its harvest practices increased the infestation level in ungulate winter range in the Upper Salmon River area.
Douglas-fir bark beetle is normally present at low levels in ecosystems containing mature Douglas-fir but can increase to epidemic levels given the right conditions. Good timber harvest practices can control an epidemic but poor practices can create or intensify an outbreak.
This report examines Tolko’s management of the Douglas-fir bark beetle outbreak, its harvest practices, and if it complied with requirements for ungulate winter range.
In May 2015, the owners of the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park, near Clearwater, complained that harvesting by the Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation increased seepage from a cutbank beside the mobile home park threatening several homes. As well the park owners were concerned about loss of access to the Star Lake Road.
The report focusses on the impact of harvesting by the Community Forest on seepage beside the mobile home park, compliance with legal obligations, the consideration and management of risks from water flows and access to the Star Lake Road.
As part of its 2014 compliance audit program, the Forest Practices Board randomly selected the Kamloops field unit portion of BC Timber Sales' (BCTS) Kamloops Business Area for audit, located in the Thompson Rivers District. BCTS operates in 30 operating areas in the Kamloops field unit. They are located within the Thompson River drainages and near the communities of Kamloops, Cache Creek, Chase, Little Fort and Barriere and includes Kamloops, Bonaparte and Adams lakes.
The audit identified one area requiring improvement with respect to a TSL holder maintaining natural drainage along a road and trail it had constructed to access timber. Auditors found that the TSL holder did not maintain natural drainage patterns along the length of the road and trail, causing water to flow down the ditch-line and into the forest, where the water and sediment settled on an old trail located 10-metres upslope from a small fish-bearing stream. After the audit, the TSL holder deactivated the road and rehabilitated the trail to restore natural drainage.
