The Forest Practices Board (FPB) announced today it will audit forestry activities on forest licence (FL) A19040, held by Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) near Cranbrook during the week of Sept. 23.

FL A19040 is in the Cranbrook Timber Supply Area (TSA) and spans approximately 1.24 million hectares in the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District. The TSA includes area around Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie and Elkford. Canfor manages FL A19040 from its office in Cranbrook.

The TSA boasts a diverse array of landscapes that support a wide range of wildlife species including caribou, elk, grizzly bear and mountain goat. This rich biodiversity, combined with its lakes, scenic mountains and numerous parks, including Akamina-Kishinena, Elk Lakes and Gilnockie provincial parks, make the area a prime destination for recreation and tourism.

The TSA is valued for its community watersheds, visual quality and old-growth forests. The Kootenay-Boundary Higher Level Plan Order has established objectives that forest licensees must adhere to in their operational plans to ensure the conservation and sustainable management of these important resource values are maintained.

Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning carried out between Sept. 1, 2023, and Sept. 27, 2024, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

The audit area is within the territories of the member bands of two First Nation councils: the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC) and the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council (SNTC). The ʔaq’am community, located northeast of Cranbrook, and the Tobacco Plains Indian Band, located southeast of Cranbrook, are members of the KNC. The Shuswap Indian Band, a member of the SNTC, has a community located at Invermere.

Once the audit is complete, board auditors will prepare a report. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and any recommendations will be released to the public and provincial government, FPB outlined in a media release.

The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. Auditees are selected using a modified random sampling method without considering past performance or public complaints.

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.

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