VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest practices of Chunzoolh Forest Products and Carrier Lumber Ltd., in the Prince George Forest District.

The audit will examine Chunzoolh’s operations on non-replaceable forest licence A72190 and Carrier Lumber’s operations on non-replaceable forest licence A70174. The companies’ operations are all within a 75 km radius of Prince George.

Auditors will examine forest roads (construction, maintenance and deactivation), timber harvesting, and related operational planning activities carried out between July 1, 2005 and July 14, 2006, to assess compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act. All activities in this area are directed at salvaging beetle-infested timber.

The board carries out periodic independent audits to see if government and forest companies are complying with the Province’s forest practices legislation. Chunzoolh Forest Products and Carrier Lumber Ltd. were selected randomly, and not on the basis of location or level of performance.

The audit team, made up of three foresters and one professional engineer, will be in the area for a week, beginning July 10, 2006. Once the fieldwork is done, the audit report will be prepared, and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will then be released to the public and government.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent public watchdog that reports to the public about compliance with the FRPA and the achievement of its intent. The board’s main roles 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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