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 W2050.
Burns Lake is surrounded by the Nechako Plateau’s low-rolling terrain, forested with spruce and pine, where salvaging mountain pine beetle damaged timber has been a priority during the last 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’s planning and practices complied with FRPA and the WA.
This special report has been prompted by multiple concerns and complaints received by the Forest Practices Board about outdoor recreation activities and how recreation values are managed under FRPA. This report will determine how forestry planning and practices are addressing forest recreation values under FRPA
As part of its 2017 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the Fort Nelson Natural Resource District as the location for a compliance audit. Within the district the Board selected forest licence A17007, held by Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor), for audit.
This was a limited scope compliance audit with a one-year timeframe. As this licence is not currently active, only road and bridge maintenance and silviculture activities and obligations carried out between September 1, 2016, and September 13, 2017, were subject to audit.
The auditors found that the bridge maintenance practices carried out by Canfor on FL A17007 did not comply in all significant respects with the requirements of FRPA and related regulations, as of September 2017, and is an adverse opinion for these activities. Auditors found that Canfor’s road maintenance and silviculture activities complied with FRPA.
As part of its 2017 compliance audit program, the Board randomly selected the North Island Central Coast Natural Resource District as a location for a full scope compliance audit. The Board selected forest licences (FL) A93095 and A93096 and non-replaceable forest licence (NRFL) A75918, held by Gwa’Nak Resources Ltd. for audit.
The activities audited are located approximately 46 kilometres north of Port Hardy, along Belize Inlet and within the Great Bear Rainforest. The audit area is remote and can only be accessed by water or air. Rugged mountains, lakes and numerous inlets, which create operational challenges, characterize the area. It is ecologically complex, supporting a rich and diverse array of wildlife, and contains a mixture of hemlock, balsam and western red cedar tree species.
Audit announcement of BCTS program and timber sale licence holders in the Dawson Creek TSA portion of the Peace-Liard Business Area.
In fall 2017, the Forest Practices Board audited the forest activities of 0866740 B.C. Ltd. This company, held by Aspen Planers Ltd., operates in the Cascades Natural Resource District near Lillooet, Gold Bridge, and the Bridge River.
This was a full scope compliance audit and all activities carried out between July 1, 2015, and November 2, 2017, were eligible for audit.
Activities complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act but the audit identified two areas for improvement related to fire hazard assessments and visual quality management.
The Board investigated a complaint about proposed harvesting around recreation sites at Thone and Williamson Lakes. The complainants were concerned that the cutblocks were too close to the campsites and lakes. They thought the harvesting posed and unacceptable risk to: the recreational experience of campers and anglers, public safety due windthrow, riparian ecosystems and water levels of the lakes and streams. Harvesting in recreation sites had been authorized by a recreation officer.
This investigation examined whether the planned harvest would comply with the legal requirements, whether the harvest adequately managed the risk to the elements the complainants were concerned about, if the recreation officer’s authorization of harvest was reasonable and if public consultation was appropriate.
The Valhalla Wilderness Association complained to the Board that forest practices undertaken by the Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) near Summit Lake is impacting western toad habitat and causing direct mortality to the toads.
In its investigation, the Board considered current research being undertaken at Summit lake into the life cycle and habitat requirements of the western toad.
As there are no current legal requirements under the Forest and Range Practices Act to protect the toads, the Board looked into whether NACFOR and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations took reasonable steps to minimize harm to the toads during forestry operations.
The Board received a complaint about harvesting a young stand of trees that had been treated to increase the volume and value of the trees. The complainant was concerned that harvesting this young stand may impact timber supply and was not consistent with good forest stewardship or sound ecological principles.
The Board believed that one stand alone is not significant, so it decided to carry out a special investigation looking at the practice of harvesting young stands across five coastal timber supply areas (TSAs): the Arrowsmith, Fraser, Soo, Strathcona and Sunshine Coast.
The investigation examined the extent of young stand harvesting and the amount of harvesting in treated stands.
The Board investigated a complaint from a community group about the potential visual impacts of a licensee’s planned logging near Lillooet. This area has visual quality objectives (VQOs), and the licensee’s forest stewardship plan contained results and strategies to meet these objectives. The complainant was concerned that planned logging would not meet the VQOs, and wondered why the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development would issue a permit and why their compliance and enforcement branch would not do something prior to logging.
In planning the logging, the licensee had completed visual simulations and was working with community members to be consistent with the VQOs. This report describes the community member’s concerns, efforts by the licensee and government, and results of these efforts after logging.
