As part of its 2017 compliance audit program, the Forest Practices Board randomly selected the Skeena-Stikine Natural Resource District portion of BC Timber Sales' (BCTS) Babine Business Area for audit.
BTCS’ operations fell within several operating areas contained within the Bulkley Timber Supply Area. Outdoor recreation is popular within the TSA, with recreation activities concentrated on the lakes, mountains and parks, including Babine Lake, Hudson Bay Mountain and Babine Mountains Provincial Park.
A field team in Smithers manages activities in the district, where staff prepares operational plans, auctions timber sales and issues timber sale licences and road permits.
In October 2017, the Board audited forestry operations on Tree Farm Licence 52 held by West Fraser Mills Ltd.(West Fraser) within the Quesnel Natural Resource District. This audit included harvesting, roads, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning that took place over a 16 month period starting in July 2016.
West Fraser’s activities complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Wildfire Act and related regulations.
On March 19 2018, Forest Practices Board staff presented before the Federal Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in Vancouver, providing input to the Committee’s study of the potential impact of climate change effects on the agriculture, agri-food and forestry sectors and actions to increase adaptation and reduce emissions.
We had an hour with the Committee which began with our presentation on: (i) the Forest Practices Board, what we do and the legislation we operate under,
(ii) our observations on climate change effects and impacts to forest and range resources, and (iii) suggestions for the federal government to consider.
After our presentation, each of the Senators asked several questions. In particular, they were interested in the FPB role and our ability to be effective without restrictive powers such as the ability to set rules or impose penalties. They were also interested in our suggestion to consider an independent climate change "watchdog".
A key benefit was to make the Committee aware of the Board and our work, which comes from a unique perspective.
You can download a PDF copy of our presentation on the right hand side of the page.
In October 2017 the Board audited forestry operations on Forest Licence A31102 held by Downie Street Sawmills Ltd. (Downie) within the Selkirk Natural Resource District. This audit included harvesting, roads, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning that took place over a two-year period starting in October 2015.
Downie’s activities generally complied in all significant respects with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Wildfire Act and related regulations. However, the audit noted a significant non-compliance related to some road construction practices on steep terrain.
The Forest Practices Board received a complaint that alleged the visual section in ATCO Wood Products (ATCO) approved Forest Stewardship Plan is not compliant with Forest and Range Practices Act and is not enforceable. The complaint is not about any of ATCO’s field activities not meeting visual quality objectives (VQOs) after harvesting and road construction had occurred. VQOs reflect the desired level of visual quality after harvesting and road construction has occurred.
Elphinstone Logging Focus, an environmental group on the Sunshine Coast, complained that cutblocks sold by BC Timber Sales would impact at-risk plant communities and affect the integrity of the ecosystem near Mt. Elphinstone Park.
The Board investigated and determined that the mature forest stands in the cutblocks contained plant communities listed by the BC Conservation Data Centre as being in peril, or of special concern. There are no government objectives protecting the plant communities and BCTS’s protocol for managing species at risk only includes plant communities found in old forest, not the mature forest stands in this area.
The Board made two recommendations to government and BCTS to address the situation.
The Forest Practices Board made a submission to the government's review of the professional reliance model in British Columbia. The submission is based on the Board's experience in auditing and investigating forest and range practices throughout the province and reviewing the role of professionals in the course of that work.
In mid-October, the Forest Practices Board audited the forest activities of Lakeside Pacific Forest Products Ltd. Lakeside operates on both sides of Harrison Lake in the Chilliwack Natural Resource District.
This was a full scope compliance audit and all activities carried out between October 1, 2015, and October 18, 2017, complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
From May 29 to June 2, 2017, the Forest Practices Board audited the activities of BC Timber Sales and timber sale licensees in the South Island Natural Resource District. This was a full scope compliance audit and all activities carried out between June 1, 2015, and June 2, 2017, were subject to audit.
All activities complied with the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, with two exceptions—a significant non-compliance related to the safety of new road construction, and a significant non-compliance related to the maintenance of natural surface drainage patterns and the disturbance of stream channels and banks.
The purpose of this special report is to identify key opportunities to improve the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). It is based on a review of Board recommendations from reports published since 2010 and the British Columbia government’s response to those recommendations.
In this report, the Board identifies five priority recommendations, discusses why they continue to be priorities in 2017, and describes the status of government’s implementation.
