As part of its 2018 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Arrow Field Unit portion of BC Timber Sales' (BCTS) Kootenay Business Area for audit. The Arrow Field Unit covers the Arrow Lakes and is approximately 1,350,000 hectares, starting at the US border and stretching north towards Revelstoke. BCTS has several operating areas dispersed throughout the field unit. The communities of Trail, Castlegar, Fruitvale, Nakusp and Rossland are within the field unit.
The audit found that BCTS and timber sale licensees’ practices complied with FRPA and the WA, but also found that several licensees’ fire hazard assessment practices require improvement. While licensees are abating the fire hazard as a standard practice, they cannot demonstrate that they have been diligent in assessing the hazard, which is a non-compliance with legislation.
In September 2018, the Forest Practices Board audited range planning and practices on five agreements for grazing in the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District. The range tenures are located between Cranbrook and Golden, and near Fernie, BC. The audit involved assessing compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act, including the required content of range use plans and whether agreement holders met practice requirements such as protection of riparian areas, upland areas, licensed waterworks and maintenance of range developments.
The audit identified two areas requiring improvement related to the grazing schedules.
In June 2018, the Board audited BC Timber Sales' (BCTS) forestry operations of the Dawson Creek Timber Supply Area (TSA) portion of Peace-Liard Business Area. The audit includes those operations that took place over a two-year period starting in June 2016. The Dawson Creek TSA covers about 2.3 million hectares in Northeastern BC and the main communities within the TSA are Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, and Hudson’s Hope.
The audit found an area requiring improvement related to BCTS’s bridge maintenance, an unsound practice for two timber sale licence holders for excessive soil disturbance, and an area requiring improvement for timber sale licence holders for not completing hazard assessments. With the exception of these findings, operational planning, timber harvesting, road construction and maintenance, silviculture, and fire protection activities complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Wildfire Act and related regulations.
In late June 2018, the Forest Practices Board audited the forest activities of Adams Lake under forest licence A89984, in the Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District. This was a full scope compliance audit and all activities carried out since June 1, 2016, were eligible for audit.
Adams Lake complied with most of the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, however the audit noted that Adams Lake could improve its slash piling and burning practices.
