The Forest Practices Board selected West Fraser Mills Limited’s Forest Licence A18694 for audit. In 2010, West Fraser purchased this licence from another licensee. Only West Fraser’s activities and obligations werincluded in this audit. West Fraser administers this licence from its 100 Mile House office. The licence has two operating areas within the Kamloops Timber Supply Area. One operating area is located east of Bonaparte Lake and west of Highway 5, between Logan Lake and Clearwater. The other operating area is north of Vavenby.
Meadow Creek Cedar Ltd. – Forest Practices and Government Enforcement
Meadow Creek Cedar Ltd. – Forest Practices and Government Enforcement
In May 2011, a resident of Meadow Creek, BC filed a complaint with the Forest Practices Board regarding the forestry practices of Meadow Creek Cedar Ltd. (MCC). The Board investigated and found that some of MCC’s roads, harvesting and silviculture activities did not comply with legislation.
In addition, some silviculture, protection and road construction practices were considered unsound. MCC did not implement recommendations provided in professional reports, including silviculture prescriptions and road engineering reports. This created unacceptable environmental and management risks, which, in the Board’s view, undermine public confidence in the industry and the professionals who work in it. MCC ’s allowable annual cut accounts for just 0.1 percent of the total provincial cut, therefore,the findings of this investigation should not be considered indicative of the forest industry.
In its ongoing audits and investigations the Board rarely finds licensees who do not strive to comply with the law and when it does, the licensee nearly always brings its forest practices into compliance.
Gilpin Creek Debris Slide
In the spring of 2011, water from a trough located above Gilpin Creek, on the Overton-Moody Range Unit near Grand Forks, was released onto an unstable slope. The ground was saturated and a debris slide occurred, sending a significant amount of soil into Gilpin Creek. A local guide-outfitter found the slide and complained to the Forest Practices Board about the location and operation of that trough. The complainant was also concerned that some new fencing, built to block cattle access to the creek, was not wildlife friendly and that it posed a potential danger to deer and wild sheep.
Gilpin Creek Debris Slide
Tk’Emlupsemc Forestry Development Corp. – NRFL A80706, Ashcroft Indian Band – NRFL A81385, Neskonlith Indian Band – NRFL A83410
Audit of Forest Planning and Practices: Tk’Emlupsemc Forestry Development Corp. – NRFL A80706, Ashcroft Indian Band – NRFL A81385, Neskonlith Indian Band – NRFL A83410
As part of the Forest Practices Board’s 2011 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Kamloops District as the location for a full-scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected non-renewable forest licences (NRFL) A80706, held by Tk’Emlupsemc Forestry Development Corporation, A81385, held by the Ashcroft Indian Band, and A83410, held by the Neskonlith Indian Band , for audit. The NRFLs were awarded under the Forest Act, section 47.3, to address the salvage of fire and insect damaged timber in the district.
The three NRFLs have a combined allowable annual cut of 83 575 cubic metres. Harvest is restricted to lodgepole pine stands that have been heavily attacked by mountain pine beetle and fire damaged stands. During the two-year period of this audit, 146 014 cubic metres were harvested under these NRFLs.
Closing Letter – Tyaughton Fire
Tyaughton Fire
The Board’s report on a complaint into the activities and decisions of the Wildfire Management Branch during the initial stages of the 2009 Tyaughton Lake fire.
