The Forest Practices Board will examine the activities of the BC Timber Sales program and timber-sale licence holders in the Boundary as part of a random audit.
According to a news release from the board, the Boundary timber-supply area covers approximately 659,000 hectares.
Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, fire protection activities and associated planning carried out between June 2022 and June 2023 met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. The field work for the audit will take place during the week of June 26.
Once the audit is complete, a report will be prepared, although it is not expected to be completed for several months. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond, the board said.
Audit manager Francis Njenga said the audit is random and not in response to any concerns.
“It is random in the sense that every year we look at two BCTS units out of 91,” he said. “It has nothing to do with any complaint or past performance. It’s just the way the die rolled this year.”
The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for forest and range practices. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and the appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.