Year-at-a-Glance Highlights

• In September 2003, the Forest Practices Board participated in the United Nations World Forestry Congress in Quebec City. The Congress brought together more than 4,000 participants from 140 countries around the world. The Board had a display in the exhibition hall, where hundreds of people from around the world came to find out about BC's independent watchdog organization and in particular, the Board's field-based forest practices auditing program. Many people commended the unique nature of the Board and were interested in the possibility of setting up a similar organization in their own countries.

• Pilot testing of indicators to audit the effectiveness of forest practices was a first step in preparing for the new results-based approach to forest management introduced by the Forest and Range Practices Act.

• A special investigation of the free-growing requirements under the Forest Practices Code provided the Board with the first opportunity to assess the result-based approach to forest management.

• An audit of Pope and Talbot Ltd. in the West Kootenays was the first successful coordination of a Board audit with a third-party certification audit. The Board determined it could use some of the certifier's work in its audit, reducing time and cost for everyone involved.

• Although the Board's mandate remains largely unchanged in the Forest and Range Practices Act, a review of FRPA and its regulations led to minor legislative amendments to clarify who the Board may audit or investigate and how it reports the results of its work.

• The Board issued a special bulletin to draw attention to the new due diligence defence under FRPA and its implications for how forestry professionals and practitioners will be held accountable for their work.

• Two cases investigated by the Board drew further attention to the issue of reliance on professionals to prevent environmental damage from forestry operations. These cases led to guidance being provided by professional associations to assist their members in carrying out their responsibilities appropriately.

• A case before the Supreme Court of Canada enabled the Board to present its views on the principles that ought to be applied when courts determine compensation for environmental damage.

• The Board issued a special bulletin on the role of a public watchdog in an era of certification. The bulletin addressed the role of the Forest Practices Board, given the current trend toward independent certification of forestry activities. It was adapted from a paper presented at the United Nations World Forestry Congress in September 2003, in Quebec City.