An audit of a Babine Forest Products (BFP) operation in the Nadina Forest District near Burns Lake showed a high standard of forest operations, according to a Forest Practices Board audit report released last week.
"Our audit team found that, during the course of beetle-salvage logging, BFP effectively implemented its wildlife tree retention strategies, carefully managed its silviculture program and made sure roads, bridges and drainage structures were all well maintained," said board chair Al Gorley.
The Nadina Forest District is located in the Lakes Timber Supply Area, which covers 1.5 million hectares in north-central British Columbia, around Francois and Babine Lakes.
The audit, which took place from Sept. 12 to 15, 2011, assessed over 80 cutblocks and close to 300 kilometres of road and found that BFP met or exceeded legislated requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Wildfire Act, the Lakes District Land and Resource Management Plan and the Lakes North Sustainable Resource Management Plan.
BFP, a joint venture between Oregon-based forest products company Hampton Affiliates and the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation, was certified in July 2011 by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This is the first time this forest licence has been audited by the board, an independent
watchdog.
