Visuals Audit Shows Good Performance

VICTORIA – An audit in the Campbell River Forest District has found good performance by forest companies in limiting the visual impact of logging activities, the Forest Practices Board reported today.

The audit examined logging activities in a sample of scenic areas in the northeast portion of the district, covering the period from January 2002 to August 2004. The audit area includes major tourism viewscapes such as the cruise ship route through Johnstone Straight, part of the Inside Passage, and the highway corridor linking Campbell River and Port Hardy.

This was a pilot to test a new approach to auditing. It was designed to measure whether forest companies are meeting government objectives to limit the visual impact of logging on scenic landscapes. It also assessed whether forest practices are effective in maintaining the visual appearance of viewscapes in key recreation and tourism corridors.

“We found that forest companies have been diligent in reducing the visual impacts of logging activities to important scenic areas.” said board chair Bruce Fraser. “Government ministries and forest companies provided full co-operation in this pilot visuals audit, and the results will help us refine our approach for future board audits of visual resources.”

The board is recommending that the Ministry of Forests complete its visual planning framework for roadside landscapes, and that the Campbell River Forest District complete and implement a comprehensive visual resource management strategy along the Highway 19 corridor in the district.

The forest companies audited were: International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor), TFL Forest Ltd. (Timberwest), Weyerhaeuser Ltd. and Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor). The BC Timber Sales program was also audited.

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 under FRPA are:

• Auditing forest practices of government and licence holders on public lands.
• Auditing government enforcement of FRPA.
• Investigating public complaints.
• Undertaking special investigations of forestry issues.
• Participating in administrative appeals.
• Providing reports on board activities, findings and recommendations.

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Erik Kaye
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250-356-1586 or 1-800-994-5899