This investigation examines the harvesting of a pair of cutblocks above Lake Errock, near Harrison Mills. A resident of Sardis was disappointed that he could see the very visible cutblocks from Chilliwack. The Ministry of Forests and Range (MFR) told the complainant that, while the visual impact of the cutblocks was not consistent with the recommended visual quality objectives for the area, it met the legal requirements. The complainant asked the Board to clarify how this could happen and to determine whether it can be prevented in the future.
Visual Quality of a Chilliwack Cutblock
Conservation of Species at Risk under the Forest and Range Practices Act: Marbled Murrelets on the Sunshine Coast
Conservation of Species at Risk under the Forest and Range Practices Act: Marbled Murrelets on the Sunshine Coast
In July 2006, the district manager of the Sunshine Coast Forest District approved a FSP submitted by International Forest Products Limited (the licensee), that covered much of the Sunshine Coast Timber Supply Area and included a strategy for conservation of marbled murrelet habitat. With that strategy approved, the Board investigated how FRPA was being applied.
The initial objectives of the special investigation were:
- to assess government’s objectives by comparing them with the objectives of a draft federal marbled murrelet recovery strategy;
- to compare the anticipated results of the licensee’s forest stewardship plan with what is likely to be recommended for recovery of marbled murrelet populations in the plan area;
- to assess the reliance on, and effectiveness of, resource professionals in the licensee’s planning processes around conservation of marbled murrelet nesting habitat; and
- to assess the effectiveness of forest stewardship and sustainable forest management planning processes for informing the public of, and involving the public in, implementing conservation measures for marbled murrelet habitat.
Establishment of Conservation Areas for Old Growth and Wildlife Habitat in the Squamish and Chilliwack Forest Districts
In 2004, the Forest Practices Board released its special report on the implementation of biodiversity measures under the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act. This study considered a wide range of measures described in the Biodiversity Guidebook and the Landscape Unit Planning Guide, including landscape-level, spatially-defined conservation areas which include wildlife habitat areas (WHAs), ungulate winter ranges (UWRs) and old growth management areas (OGMAs). At that time, the Board found that progress in establishing these areas varied widely across the province.
These conservation areas continue to be a key aspect of the province’s biodiversity strategy under the Forest and Range Practices Act. They serve to protect either representative samples of ecosystems, or elements of particular species’ habitats and are generally applied outside of parks and protected areas. As part of the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS), WHAs are established to protect critical habitat for species affected by forest and range practices. UWRs are areas necessary for the winter survival of certain ungulate species. OGMAs protect examples of old forest ecosystems and provide the framework for landscape level conservation.
Establishment of Conservation Areas for Old Growth and Wildlife Habitat in the Squamish and Chilliwack Forest Districts
Logging in the Blackwater Pine Mushroom Management Area
The Blackwater stewardship group complained to the Board about a timber sale in the Blackwater Creek Valley, near D’Arcy. The group made up of local residents is concerned that logging will harm pine mushroom habitat, spotted owl habitat, and water values.
Logging in the Blackwater Pine Mushroom Management Area
Transfer of Planning Objectives under FRPA: Stillwater Timberlands
Three complaints from the Powell River area; one from private citizens, one from the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society and a third from the Powell River Alpine Club was received. The forest stewardship plan (FSP) not being understandable; community advisory group no longer adequately represented the community; and the community values that were incorporated into the Stillwater Pilot Pan were not included in the draft FSP according to the complainants.
