Auditors with the Forest Practices Board will examine the forestry activities of a number of South Island timber licensees over the next several months.
Board Chair Tim Ryan says the audit area this time around includes the communities of Port Alberni, Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan.
There are are also some operations near Bowser on the east side of Vancouver Island the auditors will be looking at. Ryan says they’ll be looking at all aspects of the operations of the timber licensees.
“Whether your plans have been done properly…whether your building your bridges properly…and whether you’ve got all your fire equipment on hand during the summer season…,” he says.
He also notes that how roads and bridges are built will be one of the aspects studied.
The licensees are chosen at random, but the Board attempts to make sure the same operator isn’t chosen over and over again.
Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared and any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond.
The board’s final report and recommendations will be released to the public and government after that point.
