In the fall of 2009, the Forest Practices Board conducted a special investigation into how well forest companies are meeting their obligations to maintain roads and bridges under the Forest and Range Practices Act. The investigation took place in the Campbell River, South Island and Squamish forest districts in the Coast Forest Region.
The Board looked at how road maintenance obligations were being met by 8 licensees holding road permit tenures associated with 11 forest licences. The licensees were Aat’uu Forestry Limited Partnership and TimberWest Forest Corporation in the Campbell River Forest District; Coulson Forest Products Ltd. and Teal-Jones Group in the South Island Forest District; and C.R.B. Logging Co. Ltd., Northwest Squamish Forestry Ltd., Squamish Mills Ltd. and Halray Logging Ltd. in the Squamish Forest District.
As part of its 2010 compliance audit program, the Forest Practices Board randomly selected the Squamish Forest District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected Forest Licence A19215, held by Terminal Forest Products Limited, for audit.
The Board's audit fieldwork took place from June 7 to 9, 2010.
As part of its 2009 compliance audit program, the Forest Practices Board randomly selected the Chilliwack Forest District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected Tree Farm Licence 26, held by the District of Mission, as the licence for audit.
The audit examined harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection activities, and associated planning undertaken between September 1, 2007, and October 1, 2009.
In September 2008, the Forest Practices Board conducted a limited scope compliance audit of the British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) program and timber sale licence holders in the Powell River Business Unit of the Strait of Georgia Business Area, located in the Sunshine Coast Forest District.
The audit assessed more than 30 cutblocks, over 300 kilometres of road activities and obligations, 89 bridges and associated operational planning of the BCTS program and its timber sale licence holders.
In June 2007, the Board received a complaint about a timber sale in the Blackwater Creek Valley near D’Arcy, in the Squamish Forest District. The complainant, the Blackwater stewardship group, is a group of local residents concerned that logging will harm pine mushroom habitat, spotted owl habitat, and water values. The Board reported previously about the complainant’s concerns with pine mushroom and water. This report deals with the concern about spotted owl habitat.
Scientific and public concern for the quality of management of spotted owl habitat is at the root of this complaint. For the balance of habitat conservation and forest harvesting to be improved, government’s spotted owl RMPs need to be much more specific about the habitat characteristics actually required by the spotted owl; the habitat inventory requirements needed to qualify such suitable habitat; and the boundaries of areas that need to be conserved. Providing forest licensees with well-defined habitat requirements, rather than general expectations, would make government guidance more effective.
On April 28, 2008, the Blue Mountain and Kanaka Creek Conservation Group submitted a complaint to the Forest Practices Board. They asserted that rare wildlife species and domestic water sources are being damaged by motorized recreation users in the Kanaka Creek watershed near Maple Ridge, including Kathryn Creek. The Kanaka Creek watershed area has sensitive amphibian habitat containing both red-legged frogs and coastal tailed frogs. The area may also contain Pacific water shrews. All three species are designated as ‘species at risk’ under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA).
