VICTORIA – Nelson consultant Rachel Holt has been appointed to the Forest Practices Board.

Holt is a professional biologist and the owner of a small consulting company based in Nelson, British Columbia. She has worked to develop approaches for ecosystem-based management in the coastal temperate rainforest, managing endangered species, and environmental risk assessment for Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. Holt has helped to establish forest certification standards for B.C. and develop restoration strategies for mountain pine-beetle affected areas. She is a board member of the Columbia Mountains Institute and Kootenay Centre for Forestry Alternatives.

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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