Strategic Context

The Board remains objective and independent from industry, environmental groups and government. Board members have diverse background and experience, allowing the Board to fairly represent the public interest. The expertise of the Board and its staff is recognized by stakeholders, and it has well defined processes for audits and investigation.

The Forest Practices Board is committed to informing the public about forest and range practices through its independent auditor, complaint response, and special investigation roles. It is also mindful that this function is important for positioning BC forest products in the international market. The Board's capacity to fulfil these important and constructive roles during 2005/06 was affected by a changing environment as follows:

Mountain Pine Beetle

Government has substantially increased the allowable annual cut, on the order of 5 million cubic metres, to respond to the mountain pine beetle epidemic. This vastly expanded harvest increases the number and scope of operations that need to be audited, particularly the extensive salvage operations now in process. There are major public questions about reforestation, conservation of a broad range of non-timber forest resources, management of watersheds, and design of a more resilient forest for the future. These issues were of intense public interest and a major focus of the Board.

Forest Fires

Forest fuel accumulation, from both beetle-killed timber and ongoing fire suppression, has led to increased forest fire risk, particularly for communities in the wildland/urban interface. The impact of forest practices on fuel accumulation remains a focus of public concern. The issue extends to reforestation, managing fuels through controlled burning, and conserving biodiversity by managing fire frequency in natural and plantation forests. The Board initiated a project in 2005/06 examining the issue of forest fuels.

New Licensees

The re-allocation of timber under the Forest Revitalization Program is introducing an increased number of First Nations, small business and community operators with limited professional forest management experience. Forest practices by these newer operators are subject to the same rules and public expectations as for the more experienced operators. Board audits and investigations placed increased emphasis on these new licensees.

Threatened Species

A recurring theme of public concern is the conservation or recovery of threatened species. The Board is frequently called upon to investigate the effects of forest practices on wildlife habitat. This concern is growing and the Board has been increasing its effort to look at these issues.

Forest and Range Practices Act

Forest practices legislation has shifted emphasis from compliance with prescriptive rules, to implementation of strategies for resource value objectives specified by government. The Board has been revising its audit and investigation systems, to recognize the move toward objectives-based legislation.

Third-Party Certification

The forest industry in British Columbia is being challenged to adopt one or more of the major forest certifications schemes. This is influencing the evolution of forest company practices. The schemes are competitive and make varying claims to the marketplace about sustainability, public consultation and First Nations sensitivity. Some licensees pursuing third-party certification are now entering into private agreements with interest groups, outside of public planning processes, to decide where and how forest practices will occur. The implications for achieving the government's objectives are uncertain. The Board continued to provide independent assurance that certified licensees are effective in maintaining environmental values and achieving government objectives.