Board to audit 11 woodlots in Burns Lake and Francois Lake area

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will examine forest planning and practices on 11 woodlots in the Nadina Resource District, starting Oct. 10, 2017.

Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning, carried out between October 2015 and October 2017, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

Forestry is a major activity in the Burns Lake area, where the abundance of mature pine stands was a significant factor contributing to the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The beetle has killed most of the harvestable timber, leaving many of the woodlot licensees in this audit with challenges to salvage the dead timber.

The Nadina district was randomly selected for audit, and the board then selected woodlots as the focus of the audit. The woodlots are located in the Lakes Timber Supply Area, seven are near Burns Lake and four are near Francois Lake.

Once the audit work is completed, a 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 then will be released to the public and government.

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 land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement.

Contact:

Darlene Oman, Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 213-4705 / 1-800 994-5899