Timber Harvesting Impacts on Water Flows near Clearwater
In May 2015, the owners of the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park, near Clearwater, complained that harvesting by the Wells Gray Community Forest Corporation increased seepage from a cutbank beside the mobile home park threatening several homes. As well the park owners were concerned about loss of access to the Star Lake Road.
The report focusses on the impact of harvesting by the Community Forest on seepage beside the mobile home park, compliance with legal obligations, the consideration and management of risks from water flows and access to the Star Lake Road.
Timber Harvesting Impacts on Water Flows near Clearwater
West Cracroft Island Visual Quality
In January 2015, Spirit of the West Adventures, a guided adventure tourism company that has a base camp at Boat Bay, complained that proposed harvesting by TimberWest Forest Corp. would adversely affect their clients’ kayaking experience. The complainant was also concerned that neither TimberWest nor the district manager of the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations, North Island Central Coast District, addressed its concerns about visual quality in a reasonable manner.
Because the concern did not focus on the licensee’s compliance with government’s established visual quality objective, this report focuses on whether TimberWest and the district manager addressed the visual concerns in a reasonable manner.
West Cracroft Island Visual Quality
Closing Letter – Harvesting in Moose Ungulate Winter Range in the Okanagan District
Resident of Lake Country filed a complaint with the Board asserting that Tolko Industries Ltd. overharvested trees in moose ungulate winter range, not meeting the requirements of an Order under the Government Actions Regulation for Ungulate Winter Range #U-8-006 – Okanagan TSA.
Closing Letter – Harvesting in Moose Ungulate Winter Range in the Okanagan District
Local Planning Commitments and Logging near Wells Gray Park
In 1999, residents of the Upper Clearwater Valley and the local forest district agreed that the corridor of private and public land surrounding the road leading to Wells Gray Provincial Park had unique values. The values were documented in guidelines in a local resource use plan. The guidelines were endorsed by the district manager, who was pleased about the trust that had developed between business, government and individuals. Little harvesting occurred in the area until 13 years later, in 2012, when the licensee who operates in the area went to the referral group with harvest plans and explained how the plans followed the guidelines. The referral group disagreed. The licensee tried to get comments on the operational plans but the residents’ concerns were more strategic than operational and the residents viewed government as breaking its agreement with them. They complained to the Board that the guidelines were not being followed.
Local Planning Commitments and Logging near Wells Gray Park
Logging Old Forest on TFL 47 – Sonora Island
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is a forest management approach intended to maintain ecosystem integrity while providing for societal needs in the Great Bear Rainforest of Coastal BC. Ecological (old growth forest) representation and protection of at-risk plant communities are two key elements of EBM to help maintain ecological integrity and promote fully functional ecosystems on the BC Coast. Government set out the legal objectives for implementation of EBM by enacting the South Central Coast Order and the Central and North Coast Order in 2007. In February 2014, concerned residents complained that TimberWest was harvesting old forest, harvesting in areas with at-risk plant communities, and not abiding by the spirit and intent of the South Central Coast Order.
This report explores compliance with the South Central Coast Order for EBM, the clarity of both the Order and associated government direction and, the importance of understanding and managing to the spirit and intent of EBM in the Great Bear Rainforest.
