Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

Board Overall Goal

The Board's independent watchdog function will promote the continuous improvement and application of sound forest and range practices to achieve the sustainable management of the public resources of British Columbia.

Management and conservation objectives set by government provide the framework for assessing sustainability of forest and range practices.

Linkage to the Five Great Goals

Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none.

The Board provides credible, objective and independent verification of sustainable industry and government forest and range practices. Board audits and investigations are objective, thorough, field-based and are extensively checked before reports are published. While the Board occasionally finds it necessary to report on inadequate practices, its approach is to recommend improvements to forest and range practices and government enforcement, consistent with industry's continuing efforts to adapt and improve.

Performance Plan

The objective includes:

• legislation effective in fostering sustainable forest practices;
• forest and range licensees developing and continuously improving practices to help to achieve the resource objectives set by government; and
• regulatory agencies fostering continuous improvement of forest and range practices through their compliance, enforcement and evaluation programs.

• Conduct random audits to assess the appropriateness of government enforcement and the compliance of forest and range licensees with the Act.
• Develop support for audit findings and recommendations by providing an opportunity for adversely affected parties to respond, and demonstrate how responses have been considered, before reports are finalized.
• Develop the Board's capacity to assess the effectiveness of forest practices in achieving objectives set by government.
• Increase audit focus on First Nations, Small Business and Community operators with less professional forestry management experience.
• Consider information arising from third-party forest certification to increase the efficiency of audit procedures.
• Monitor and assess whether regulatory agencies and licensees have adequately implemented audit recommendations for improved practices, following up as necessary to ensure responses are adequate.
• Initiate or participate in administrative appeals when the Board believes that doing so is in the public interest.
• Monitor whether Board interventions in appeals and penalties are effective in upholding standards of performance expected of license holders.

• Deal with all participants in a transparent and non-adversarial manner during complaint investigations.
• Seek informal opportunities to resolve complaints where possible.
• Focus complaint investigations to first address issues directly raised by, and relevant to, the participants, and second address underlying or thematic issues of public interest.
• Provide parties that are adversely affected by investigation findings with an opportunity to respond, and demonstrate how responses were considered, before the report is finalized.
• Monitor and assess whether regulatory agencies and licensees have adequately implemented recommendations for improved practices, following up as necessary to ensure responses are adequate.

• Assess prevailing trends and conditions to annually identify issues of major public importance.
• Regularly discuss strategic issues with the heads of regulatory agencies, industry licensees, researchers and interested non-government organizations to determine those worthy of investigation.
• Conduct and publish special investigations where appropriate, which may include recommendations for improving forest practices.
• Provide experts and potentially affected parties an opportunity to comment on reports before they are finalized.
• Monitor and assess whether regulatory agencies and licensees have adequately implemented recommendations for improved practices, following up as necessary to ensure responses are adequate.