Victoria - The Forest Practices Board will conduct its first set of audits of compliance and enforcement on Nisga’a lands this summer.
The Nisga’a lands cover about 2,000 square kilometres in the Nass River Valley on both sides of the river about 90 kilometres north of Terrace. The operating areas for the auditees are in various parts of the Nisga’a lands.
The Nisga’a audits will examine compliance with the Forest Practices Code by licensees who are winding down their operations 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.
These full-scope audits will look at operational planning; construction, maintenance and deactivation of roads; timber harvesting; silviculture; fire protection activities; and district manager obligations. The purpose is to determine whether the following auditees complied with the code and with forestry-related Nisga’a final agreement requirements:
The audit will also examine the appropriateness of government enforcement of the code by:
The eight-member audit team of professional foresters, biologists, engineers and chartered accountants will be in the licence areas for up to two weeks beginning July 16. Once the field work is done, the audit team will report its findings to the board. 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.
To date, the board has completed compliance audits of 41 forest companies and Ministry of Forests small business forest enterprise programs. Nineteen were clean audits, meaning the forest planning and practices met code requirements in all significant respects. Twenty-two were qualified audits, meaning that there was some significant non-compliance with the code.
The board is undertaking nine groups of audits this year, which include area-based and range auditing and audits of forest practices on Nisga’a lands.
The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog, established in 1995, that publishes reports about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent.
The board’s main roles under the Forest Practices Code are:
Bill Cafferata,Chair
Forest Practices Board
Phone: (250) 387-7964
1-800-994-5899
Nicky Cain,
Communications
Forest Practices Board
Phone: 250 387-7964
1 800 994-5899
