Board to audit Canfor near Mackenzie

VICTORIA – During the week of Oct. 18, 2021, the Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices of Canfor on forest licence A15384 in the Mackenzie Natural Resource District.

This audit, originally planned to start on July 19, 2021, was postponed due to the forest fire situation in the area.

Auditors will examine whether harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning carried out between July 1, 2020, and Oct. 22, 2021, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

The audit area is located in the Mackenzie Timber Supply Area (TSA), which includes the town of Mackenzie. The terrain in the TSA is mainly mountainous, except for the flat to gently sloping Rocky Mountain Trench, which runs north to south through the centre of the TSA.

Williston Lake, a hydroelectric reservoir created by the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River, lies in the trench. The lake is about 250 kilometres long and is the largest body of freshwater in
B.C.

Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared. If Canfor may be adversely affected by the audit findings, a representative will have an opportunity to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will then be released to the public and government.

The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices. It audits forest and range practices on public lands through its annual audit program, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.

Natural resource districts are randomly selected as the locations for these audits. A forest or range licence within the district is then selected as the focus of the audit. Audit selections are not based on complaints or on the past performance of the tenure holder. More information about the audit process is available on the board’s website.

Contact:

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