Victoria – Members of the Forest Practices Board will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday evening, March 25, in the San Marco/Cortina Room at the Coast Capri Hotel, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Board will make a brief presentation and will invite questions and comments from the public. The Board will be in Kelowna on March 24, 25 and 26 for its monthly Board meeting.

The Board places a high priority on meeting with the public in different communities around the province. It gives the Board an opportunity to explain its work directly to the public and interested organizations, and to hear the views and concerns of the public. The Board has held similar meetings in Cranbrook, Kamloops, Prince George, Williams Lake, Smithers, Campbell River, Nelson, Terrace, Port McNeill and Victoria.

The Forest Practices Board is an independent agency, established in 1995, that provides reports to the public and government about compliance with the Forest Practices Code and the achievement of its intent. The Board’s main roles are: auditing forest practices; investigating public complaints; special investigations of any Code related forestry issues; participating in administrative reviews and appeals; and providing reports to the public and government on Board activities, findings and recommendations.

To date, the Board has not undertaken any audits in the Okanagan. The nearest audits involve Tolko Forest Industries in Merritt and the Boundary Forest District’s Small Business Forest Enterprise Program in Grand Forks. The Board also has not received any complaints from the public about forest planning or practices in the Okanagan.