VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct its fifth and final annual audit of forest planning and practices, as well as its third and final audit of government enforcement of forestry legislation on Nisga’a lands, beginning Sept. 12, 2005.
The Nisga’a lands cover about 2,000 square kilometres in the Nass River Valley, about 90 kilometres north of Terrace.
The audits will examine compliance with forestry legislation and the Nisga’a Final Agreement, by licensees and the Ministry of Forests and Range, on Nisga’a lands. The Nisga’a Final Agreement requires the board to undertake a compliance audit of all existing forest licences, in each year of the five-year transition period (May 2000 to May 2005), as well as audits of government enforcement.
The compliance audit will assess operational planning; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; timber harvesting; silviculture; fire protection activities; and district manager obligations, for the period of July 10, 2004, to May 10, 2005. The purpose is to determine whether the following auditees complied with the legislation and with forestry-related Nisga’a Final Agreement requirements:
The enforcement audit will examine the appropriateness of enforcement of forestry legislation on Nisga’a Lands, for the period from July 19, 2003, to May 10, 2005, by:
The five-member audit team will be in the area for about five days beginning Sept. 12. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will be given a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will then be released to the public and government.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles are:
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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 356-1586 / 1 800 994-5899
