The Forest Practices Board will examine activities of the B.C. Timber Sales program and timber sale licence holders in the Okanagan-Shuswap Resource District during the week of June 6.
Auditors will examine all operational planning, harvesting, road, silviculture and wildfire protection practices for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.
The audit includes all forestry activities carried out in the last year in the area, which stretches from the U.S. border in the south to the Seymour River and Shuswap Lake in the north.
The ecology in the district is one of the most complex in the province with seven biogeoclimatic zones, ranging from wet interior hemlock/cedar forests to semi-arid sagebrush.
The area is also highly used for recreational purposes and includes numerous community water sources, which make managing forest activities challenging.
Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will then be released to the public and government.
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. The board audits forest and range practices on public land, as well as appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.