VICTORIA – An audit of Husby Forest Products Ltd.’s activities on Forest Licence A16869, in the Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District, found compliance with almost all of the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, according to a report released today.

“Our auditors found that Husby complied with most requirements of the legislation, but found fire-hazard assessments were not completed on time,” said Tim Ryan, board chair. “However, Husby had abated fire hazards in an effective and timely manner and now has a system in place to conduct hazard assessments in the future.”

“Auditors also noted that Husby located, marked and mapped culturally significant features in its planning, such as yew, crabapple and monumental cedar trees, to protect them. Husby also covers all road approaches to fish stream crossings with gravel and shot rock to prevent sediment from getting into the streams”, said Ryan. “These are good practices in a challenging operating area.”

The audit area is located north of Masset Inlet in the Collison Point and Eden Lake areas. All forestry activities carried out between Aug 1, 2014, and Aug. 23, 2016, were subject to audit, including harvesting, roads, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning.

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 and appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

Contact:

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