This is the Board’s closing letter for a complaint about livestock impacting water quality from a natural spring. In December 2012, the Board received a complaint that livestock use of a small pasture is contaminating a spring providing domestic drinking water. In addition, the complainant is concerned that new fencing restricts public access to Crown land, and that the pasture is overgrazed. This letter summarizes the results of the Board’s investigation into this complaint.
In June 2012, the Board received a complaint about Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd.’s (the licensee) planned road building and harvesting for cutting permit 40 (three cutblocks) in the Duhamel Creek community watershed. The complainant was concerned that harvesting and road building would increase the risk of flooding and debris flows, which could potentially damage property, reduce water quality and endanger the lives of residents of the Duhamel Creek alluvial fan.
Duhamel Creek frequently experiences natural disturbances. The presence and influence of historical landslides and other erosion events are evident throughout the length of Duhamel Creek. The valley sidewalls and streambeds have been eroded over time by events like avalanches, landslides and debris slides. Some of the eroded material was transported downstream, particularly in extreme run-off events, where it settled and created the Duhamel alluvial fan.
In July 2012, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint that a BC Timber Sales (BCTS) logging operation in the Hunaker Creek Watershed had affected the flow of a seasonal stream, which in turn caused damage to the complainant’s property. The complainant also claimed that the logging operations led to contamination of a well and that the BCTS public consultation efforts were inadequate, both for harvest planning and for notification about burning waste wood piles.
The Hunaker Creek Watershed is small—less than 500 hectares in size—with the portion upstream of the complainant’s home covering 289 hectares. The watershed is relatively flat with a slight northern aspect and elevation ranges from 550 to 600 metres above sea level.
In February 2012, a member of the public who regularly hikes on the Sunshine Coast Trail near Powell River complained to the Board that Western Forest Products Inc. (WFP, or “the licensee” unless otherwise indicated) is not maintaining the integrity of the trail when harvesting close to it. The complainant asserted that buffers were not protecting visual quality or preventing trees from blowing down onto the trail.
The complainant has shared his concerns with the licensee on numerous occasions and the licensee has responded. The licensee assured the complainant that it is committed to sustainable forest management and local community values including the Sunshine Coast Trail. The complainant continues to feel that the licensee does not seriously consider his concerns.
On December 20, 2012, a Director of the Regional District of Columbia Shuswap complained to the Forest Practices Board about proposed harvesting in an area covered by the Begbie Falls Integrated Resources Plan (BFIRP).
The director was concerned that forestry activities of Stella-Jones (the licensee) were not consistent with the BFIRP; that residents of Revelstoke and the area adjacent to the proposed development did not have adequate opportunity to comment on the harvest proposal; and that the harvesting was proposed within a FireSmart demonstration area, which had just been treated to reduce wildfire risk.
