Logging and Lakeshore Management near Vanderhoof

In May 2009, the Upper Nechako Wilderness Council (the complainant) submitted a complaint that Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (the licensee) had harvested timber within a lakeshore management reserve used by the complainant’s member businesses for guided-wilderness moose hunts and hike-in fishing. The complainant said the proximity of the cutblock to the lake has caused its member businesses to abandon the lake as part of their wilderness-business operations.

The complainant is concerned that, under the Forest and Range Practices Act, a forest licensee has the authority to make land use decisions that can negatively impact the values of its member businesses. As a result, the complainant is worried about what may happen in future to other lakes its members use for similar business purposes.