The special investigation report examined government’s efforts at rehabilitating damage to forests caused by fire fighting. The investigation examined the rehabilitation of 12 forest fires in the southern half of the province, all of which burned during 2003, the worst fire season on record in British Columbia. The investigation found legal rehabilitation requirements were generally met and rehabilitation treatments were effective in maintaining natural drainage patterns and minimizing soil erosion.
Post-Fire Site Rehabilitation: Final Report
Consideration of Water Impacts from Planned Woodlot Harvesting near Nakusp
On March 12, 2004, the Granite Ridge Water Users Committee (the complainant) asked the Board to investigate the approval of a forest development plan for a woodlot located near Edgewood in the Arrow Boundary Forest District. The complainant believes that approval of the FDP did not adequately consider water resources. The complainant makes the following assertions: a community watershed assessment was not completed; theCommunity Watershed Planning Guidebook was not followed; and the district manager’s approval of the plan did not adequately consider a hydrologist’s report (provided by the complainant) or hydrologic values. The complainant expects that logging and road building will affect the domestic water supply and wants the woodlot relocated to a less sensitive area.
Consideration of Water Impacts from Planned Woodlot Harvesting near Nakusp
Post-Fire Site Rehabilitation Special Investigation: Interim Report
Forest fires generated a high degree of public interest during the summer of 2003. Although many people are aware of government’s role in fighting forest fires, they may not know that after fires are out, significant work may be required to rehabilitate sites impacted by fire suppression activities.
The Forest Fire Prevention and Suppression Regulation (FFPSR) deals with site rehabilitation. It requires a person who carries out fire control or fire suppression operations to stabilize all fire access trails, fire guards and other fire suppression works to ensure that natural drainage patterns are maintained and surface soil erosion is minimized. If heavy equipment was used to construct fire access trails, fire guards, fire camps, staging areas or heliports, a site rehabilitation plan must be submitted to a designated forest official for approval soon after the fire is suppressed.
Post-Fire Site Rehabilitation Special Investigation: Interim Report
Audit of Forest Planning and Practices: Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation – TFL 56
A compliance audit of Tree Farm Licence 56, held by Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RCFC). The licence is area-based and is located approximately 50 kilometres north of the City of Revelstoke in the Columbia Forest District.The audit examined RCFC’s operational planning; timber harvesting; road construction,maintenance and deactivation; silviculture; and fire protection practices for the period from July 1, 2002, to July 18, 2003.
Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation – TFL 56
Schroeder Creek Road
This complaint is about the Schroeder Creek forest access road built by Kalesnikoff Lumber Company Limited (the licensee) in the Kootenay Lakes Forest District. Valhalla Wilderness Society (the complainant) asked the Board to investigate six landslides, or failures, that occurred along the road, including planning, general road building practices, and the Ministry of Forests’ enforcement of the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act and its regulations (the Code) for the road.
The Board decided to investigate whether the licensee met the Code’s requirements for planning, road building and enforcement for only the sections of the road that include two landslides. The ministry’s determinations for the four other failures are being reviewed through the administrative review and appeal process under the Forest Practices Code.
