On October 25, 2001, the Board received a complaint from a resident of the Moyie River valley, south of Cranbrook. The complainant's 25-acre property is completely surrounded by Crown rangeland. The complainant holds a domestic water license that permits her to take up to 1500 gallons of water per day from Noke Creek.
According to the complainant, cattle defecate in and around Noke Creek and her water intake, polluting the water. The complainant is concerned about the health risks associated with drinking the water.
This is the Board’s report on a compliance audit of Forest Licence A20212, held by Tembec Industries Inc. (Tembec). Forest Licence A20212 was formerly held by Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. During the audit period Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. was amalgamated with Tembec. The operating area for this licence is located in mountainous terrain in the Kootenay Lake Forest District, primarily north of the city of Creston to the headwaters of the Goat River.
This is the Board’s report on a compliance audit of Non Replaceable Forest Licence A55525 held by Qwa’eet Forest Products Ltd. The licence does not have specific borders within which activities take place; however, the primary operating area is located north and south of the town of Merritt, BC. Qwa’eet also operated on several cutblocks located northeast of Princeton. The operating area for Qwa’eet consists of fairly flat and dry upland plateaus with few riparian features or areas of unstable terrain.
A complaint was filed with the Forest Practices Board in June 1999, asserting that an amendment to a forest development plan to allow harvesting of snow-damaged timber in the Elk Valley did not provide adequate information and did not adequately address forest resources.
This investigation examines a complaint that Atco Lumber Ltd. (the licensee) is routinely cutting immature timber around Nelson, BC without regard to the future value of the timber. The complainant believes that the province should allow young stands to grow older before they are harvested, to ensure a better financial return from public forest lands.
As an example of his concern, the complainant referred specifically to cutblocks harvested near Hall Creek, about 15 kilometres south of Nelson, BC. He said those stands are only 70 years old, and further, that the licensee paid harvesting royalties to the province of only 25 cents per cubic metre. The Board does not have jurisdiction to investigate whether the province received adequate royalties for timber harvesting on Crown land. However, the investigation considers whether harvesting of those stands, given their age, complied with the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act and its regulations (the Code), and whether the approval of harvesting was appropriate.
