Forestry activities carried out by BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence (TSL) holders in the Columbia Field Unit portion of the Okanagan-Columbia Business Area met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, according to the Forest Practices Board.
“The board is pleased to see that BCTS and TSL holders complied with all legal requirements for the audited activities,” said Kevin Kriese, chair, Forest Practices Board.
“The audit did find that BCTS had some issues during the construction of two road sections in difficult terrain,” Kriese said. “There were no impacts to forest resources at these sites, but the situation created risks and required additional work. This could have been avoided if BCTS had followed all the recommendations of the professionals they hired to advise them.”
The audit examined the forest stewardship plan, harvesting of 89 cutblocks, construction of seven kilometres of road and one bridge, maintenance of 885 kilometres of road and 73 bridges and major culverts, as well as silviculture and wildfire protection activities. It included all activities carried out by BCTS and TSL holders between June 2019 and June 2021.
The audit area extends along Upper Arrow Lake to the northeastern end of Shuswap Lake, over to the east side of Kinbasket Lake and south to Kootenay National Park.
The BCTS Columbia Field Unit was selected randomly for audit under the board’s annual audit program, and not on the basis of complaints or past performance.
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and appropriateness of government enforcement.
