Cooper Creek Cedar is generally meeting the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act on Forest Licence A30171 near Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada.
The audit looked at timber harvesting, road and bridge construction, maintenance and deactivation, reforestation, wildfire protection and associated planning carried out between Sept. 1, 2017, and Sept. 26, 2019.
“This is a very challenging operating area for engineering, harvesting and silviculture, with many sensitive environmental values and local public interest,” said Kevin Kriese, chair, Forest Practices Board. “In addition, a previous owner of the forest licence left a legacy of poor practices that was inherited by Cooper Creek when it took over.
The audit did find a non-compliance involving an excavator, which crossed a bridge that was not rated to handle the weight of the machine. The audit also found that Cooper Creek needs to prepare site plans for roads built outside of cutblocks. As the roads themselves were well built, this was considered an area for improvement. The company has since put in place a new process and is preparing site plans for roads built outside of cutblocks.
The Forest Practices Board is British Columbia’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.
