In late July, the Forest Practices Board audited the forest activities of Western Forest Products Inc. in Blocks 2 and 5 of tree farm licence 39. Block 2 is located near Sayward on Vancouver Island, and Block 5 is located on the mainland coast in the Phillips River watershed.
This was a full scope compliance audit and all activities carried out between July 1, 2017, and July 27, 2018, were eligible for audit. The Board found that Western complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. This is the third audit of the TFL since 2008, and all have shown good results.
As part of its 2018 compliance audit program, the Board selected forest licence A19229 in the Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District as a location for a full scope compliance audit. A&A Trading Ltd. holds the licence, but some silviculture obligations are the responsibility of the previous licensee, Terminal Forest Products Ltd.
The activities audited are located in the Sunshine Coast Timber Supply Area, which is characterized by rugged mountains, lakes and numerous inlets, creating operational challenges for the licensees. The area is ecologically complex, supporting a rich and diverse array of wildlife and ecosystems and is subject to government orders for old growth management areas, recreation sites and trails and visual quality objectives and notices for species at risk, including the marbled murrelet, northern goshawk and coastal tailed frog habitat.
All activities complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
As part of its 2018 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Mackenzie Natural Resource District as a location for a full scope compliance audit. The Board selected community forest agreement K2M for audit, held by McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest Limited Partnership, operated jointly by the District of Mackenzie and the McLeod Lake Indian Band.
The activities audited are located in five operating areas, extending from the Parsnip River in the south, past Mackenzie and north to the Nation Arm of Williston Lake, including the Mugaha Marsh sensitive area. The terrain is gentle to rolling, containing mature forests, comprised of mixed stands of Engelmann spruce, white spruce, sub-alpine fir and lodgepole pine.
All activities complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
Two trappers in the Nazko Area, near Quesnel complained to the Board that logging practices to salvage mountain pine beetle killed pine trees have removed fisher habitat on their trapline. They claim habitat loss will affect their livelihood and were concerned that salvage operations were not being managed to maintain fisher and other wildlife habitats.
The Board investigated planning and management by both government and licensees operating in the Nazko Area . The Board conducted site visits and analyzed logging activities. During the investigation the area also experienced widespread forest mortality from forest fires.
The Board found the complainants' concerns were justified, government did not use the legal tools available to protect fisher habitat and did not monitor or follow up to check if guidance had been followed. Some licensees made attempts to retain habitat for fisher habitat, but the efforts were uncoordinated and ultimately insufficient given the extent of salvage harvesting.
Fish are an important part of the environmental, economic, social, cultural and spiritual fabric of BC. People care deeply about fish and fish habitats and how they are managed. Much of the public’s concern about fish relates to how forestry and range activities are managed to prevent impacts to fish habitats. The Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and its regulations contain several objectives and practice requirements to protect or conserve fish and fish habitats.
Past Board work and government monitoring have shown that the general practices requirements in FRPA have improved the protection of fish habitats compared to when there was no such legislation. This special report identifies opportunities to further strengthen aspects of forest management and FRPA implementation to conserve fish habitats.
As part of the Forest Practices Board's 2017 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Nadina Natural Resource District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected 11 woodlot licences near Burns Lake for audit: W0116, W0117, W0128, W0198, W0199, W1534, W1687, W1690, W1691, W2050 and W2065. This report explains what the Board audited and the findings for woodlots W0116 & W0199, W0117 & W0128, W1534 and W2065.
Burns Lake is surrounded by the Nechako Plateau’s low-rolling terrain and is forested with pine-dominated stands, where salvaging mountain pine beetle damaged timber has been a priority for several years. The government issued cut control exemptions or temporary cut uplifts to many of the woodlot licensees, providing them with the opportunity to salvage the damaged timber and regenerate young, thrifty stands.
The audit found that the licensees’ practices mostly complied with FRPA and the WA, but found significant non-compliance with annual reporting practices and silviculture obligations and also found fire hazard assessment practices require improvement.
As part of the Forest Practices Board's 2017 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Nadina Natural Resource District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected 11 woodlot licences near Burns Lake for audit: W0116, W0117, W0128, W0198, W0199, W1534, W1687, W1690, W1691, W2050 and W2065. This report explains what the Board audited and the findings for woodlot W0198.
Burns Lake is surrounded by the Nechako Plateau’s low-rolling terrain and is forested with pine-dominated stands, where salvaging mountain pine beetle damaged timber has been a priority for several years. The government issued cut control exemptions or temporary cut uplifts to many of the woodlot licensees, providing them with the opportunity to salvage the damaged timber and regenerate young, thrifty stands.
The audit found that the licensee mostly complied with FRPA, but found a significant non-compliance with regeneration obligations. Also, the licensee did not comply with the Wildfire Act when it did not meet hazard assessment and abatement requirements.
This special investigation will assess if the mechanisms available under FRPA and associated IWMS guidance are adequate for maintaining species at risk habitat. Northern Goshawk will be used as a case study to evaluate both legal and voluntary measures to maintain suitable habitat for Northern Goshawk and their prey on the coast and in the interior.
A landowner complained that Interfor Corporation (Interfor) was not maintaining its roads and caused landslides into Little Cayuse Creek where he gets his water. He also asserted that government was not adequately enforcing Interfor’s maintenance requirements.
The Board’s investigation determined that Interfor had not conducted adequate inspections to ensure no material adverse effect on forest resources so did not comply with the Forest and Range Practices Act road maintenance requirements. The investigation also found that government was not doing enough to determine if Interfor had complied with its road maintenance requirements.
As part of the Forest Practices Board's 2017 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Nadina Natural Resource District as the location for a full scope compliance audit. Within the district, the Board selected 11 woodlot licences near Burns Lake for audit: W0116, W0117, W0128, W0198, W0199, W1534, W1687, W1690, W1691, W2050 and W2065. This report explains what the Board audited and the findings for woodlots W1687, W1690 and W1691.
Burns Lake is surrounded by the Nechako Plateau’s low-rolling terrain and is forested with pine-dominated stands, where salvaging mountain pine beetle damaged timber has been a priority for several years. The government issued cut control exemptions or temporary cut uplifts to many of the woodlot licensees, providing them with the opportunity to salvage the damaged timber and regenerate young, thrifty stands.
The audit found that the licensees’ practices complied with FRPA and the WA, but also found that the licensees’ fire hazard assessment practices require improvement. While licensees are abating fire hazards as a standard practice, they cannot demonstrate that they have been diligent in assessing the hazard, which is a non-compliance with legislation.
