Audit of Forest Planning and Practices: International Forest Products Limited – FLs A16850 and A82001

In June 2012, the Board conducted a full scope audit of forest planning and practices on International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor) Forest Licences A16850 and A82001 in the North Island-Central Coast District.

This area, often referred to as the Great Bear Rainforest is rugged, remote, and characterized by a wet, windy climate, making forest operations challenging. The area has received international attention due to concerns about resource use in one of the largest temperate rainforests in the world. This attention has led to the collaboration of land users, First Nations and government agencies in the creation of land use orders designed in part to implement ecosystem-based management (EBM), integrating social, economic and ecological needs in the area. This is the first Board audit in the Mid-Coast Timber Supply Area where EBM has been incorporated into planning and practices.