VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct a pilot audit examining protection of multiple forest values in the Fort St. James Forest District later this September.

The audit will assess compliance with Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) requirements, along with the effectiveness of forest practices as they relate to management of important forest values, such as streams, water quality, and soils. Previous pilot audits have looked at each forest value on its own, but this will be the first time the board has looked at multiple forest values in the same area.

The audit will examine Apollo Forest Products Ltd.’s activities on forest licence A18156 and Brave Holdings Ltd.’s activities on salvage non-replaceable forest licence A75670, for the period between Sept. 1, 2004 and Sept. 31, 2006. The companies’ operations are located in the Kazchek Operating Area, northwest of Fort St. James, in between Trembleur Lake and Kazchek Lake.

Some of Apollo’s activities have been carried out according to a forest stewardship plan, which was prepared and approved under the new FRPA, rather than the old Forest Practices Code. This will also be the board’s first examination of FRPA on the ground.

The audit team will be in the area for one week, beginning Sept. 24, with an additional field visit possible later on. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will then be released to the public and government.

These pilot effectiveness audits are allowing the board to test methods of auditing the achievement of results on the ground, which will be very important as the Province begins implementing FRPA.

The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board:

• audits forest and range practices on public lands;.
• audits appropriateness of government enforcement;
• investigates public complaints;
• undertakes special investigations of current forestry issues;
• participates in administrative appeals; and
• makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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