British Columbia’s forestry watchdog is again sounding the alarm over the combined effects of forestry, mining and farming on the province’s public land.
There is no one government agency responsible when environmental damage is caused by more than one land user, the Forest Practices Board said in a report detailing complaints made between 1995 and 2013.
“In one watershed the impact of mine tailings and salvage harvesting had left the downstream water users at risk, but no single government agency was responsible for managing the combined effect,” the report says.
“In a second watershed, a lack of coordination between forest licensees increased the likelihood of flooding on a nearby private property.
“In a third, the cumulative effects of harvesting and other activities had reduced the forage supply for cattle.
“In a fourth, the combination of climate change, pine beetle and salvage harvesting contributed to an unexpected loss of water and two floods at a downstream ranch.”
Complaints to the board rose sharply between 2010 and 2013, at the same time forestry companies were increasing harvesting activities as the industry recovered from the global recession.
The highest number of complaints came from the Kootenays (22%) followed by the South Coast (18%) and West Coast (15%). Concerns about sound forest practices, poor planning, conservation and water topped the complaints.
In 70% of its investigations, the board found that forestry companies had followed the law, however the watchdog agency has “frequently noted room for improvement in government legislation and policies.”
The Forest Practices Board also noted that tenured resource users — like tourism outfitters, ranchers, water users and trappers — are losing out to forest companies when there is no plan in place to preserve water quality, forage supply, scenic views or wildlife in an area.
“Unless there are explicit government objectives for these values … it is the forest licensee (guided by their professionals)—not a government official—that decides how to proceed.”
