The number of forestry compliance inspections in B.C. have dropped dramatically over the past three years and could fall even further, according a report released Tuesday by the Forest Practices Board.
In a special investigation titled Monitoring Licensees' Compliance with Legislation, the board found the province completed just one third the number of inspections for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act that it did just three years ago.
"The Forest and Range Practices Act is intended to keep environmental standards high, with strong compliance and enforcement," board chairman Al Gorley said in a statement. "Government needs to demonstrate that it is carrying out enough inspections to adequately monitor compliance with legislation, or public confidence will be diminished."
The report found that due to a consolidation of responsibilities in 2010, there are fewer inspectors responsible for a broader range of duties. In addition to looking at compliance with forest legislation, inspectors are now also called upon to look at everything from dams and illegal docks to recreation and open burning.
For the year ending March 31, 2012, the report determined that 58 per cent of all the inspections conducted related to forest and range activities, however only 33 per cent dealt with harvesting
and road activities and just two per cent related to range activities.
The authors of the report are concerned the problem will get worse in the coming year if inspectors are called on to investigate even more non-forestry related incidents.
"For the government to have confidence that inspections of forest and range activities are ensuring licensees' compliance, it needs to more accurately measure the rate of compliance," the report said.
To that end, the board recommended that the government put together a list of all incidents of non-compliance found, even if it didn't result in enforcement and then publish the rates of compliance annually.
