The Forest Practices Board has audited the appropriateness of government’s enforcement of the provisions of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, in the Columbia Forest District in southeastern British Columbia.

The Board commends the Ministry of Forests and Range staff in the district for their good compliance and enforcement (C&E) practices during the audit period. They completed a large number of inspections, demonstrating that they were out on the ground, extensively monitoring forest activities. They also conducted numerous investigations and took appropriate enforcement actions when problems were identified. When interviewed, licensees in the district reported that compliance monitoring and enforcement practices were conducted fairly during the two-year audit period. Overall, the investigation found no C&E weaknesses of concern in the district.

A group of residents of Slocan Park submitted a complaint about a British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) timber licence regarding harvest and harvest plans for four cutblocks in Slocan Park. The complainants were concerned that BCTS had not consulted with them effectively and that BCTS would not monitor road building and harvesting. As well, among their many other concerns, the complainants were worried that harvest would impact water supply, terrain stability, visual quality and fire risk.

The Board investigation considered the following:

1. Did BCTS provide an effective opportunity for review and comment on the proposed cutblocks?
2. Were assessments and subsequent prescribed measures reasonable?
3. Will there be an unacceptable increase in fire risk?
4. What is being done to ensure compliance with legislation and to mitigate impacts?

In British Columbia, use of Crown range is regulated by the Range Act and the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). The Range Act provides the authority to grant range agreements, including permits and licences. These agreements include things like the tenure area and the amount of forage that can be consumed by livestock on Crown land. Similar to the former Forest Practices Code, FRPA provides the necessary authority for government to manage the Crown land resource. This includes authority to require the agreement holder to prepare a range plan and follow practice requirements.

The investigation found that the current framework for range planning under FRPA is not working well for agreement holders, MFR range staff or for management of the range resource. First, there is widespread uncertainty about what the objectives for range mean and what is required to achieve them. Second, agreement holders are expected to write measurable and enforceable plans, yet may not have the necessary qualifications and experience to do so. Finally, the preparation and approval of RUPs is a time consuming and challenging task for agreement holders and the MFR, and it is not clear if range planning is achieving any measurable benefit in managing the range resource.

The owner of a private campground on Lake Koocanusa submitted a complaint to the Forest Practices Board on August 22, 2008. The complainant had concerns with a campfire ban, imposed on July 28, 2008, covering parts of the Rocky Mountain Forest District and the Lake Koocanusa area, which is southeast of Cranbrook, BC.