Nak'al Koh Timber Ltd. passes provincial forestry audit

An audit of Nak'al Koh Timber Ltd. has found that its forestry planning and practices in the Mackenzie timber supply area (TSA) generally complied with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act.

However, the audit did identify issues related to seed transfer, silviculture reporting, and fire hazard assessment.

Auditors from the Forest Practices Board reviewed 13 cutblocks harvested by Nak'al Koh between January 2020 and September 2023 under non-replaceable forest licence A89836. The audit examined operational planning, timber harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, and wildfire protection.

Five cutblocks were found to be out of compliance with the chief forester's seed transfer guidelines, and three cutblocks had planting activities that were not reported on time.

"Nak'al Koh has a plan to monitor and address performance issues in its plantations. It also submitted planting reports for the three cutblocks before the audit period concluded," said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board, in the announcement of the board's findings.

The audit also revealed that Nak'al Koh did not complete the required fire hazard assessments for 12 cutblocks harvested during the audit period.

"While the board identified fire hazard assessments as an area needing improvement, there were no concerns regarding Nak'al Koh's fire hazard abatement practices," Atkinson said. "The company effectively reduced fire hazards in all 11 cutblocks that were abated during the audit period."

The Mackenzie TSA is located within the Mackenzie Natural Resource District in northeastern BC. It includes the territories of the Doig River First Nation, Halfway River First Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Nak'azdli Whut'en, Takla First Nation, Tsay Keh Dene First Nation and West Moberly First Nations.

The Forest Practices Board serves as BC's independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government.

The board audits practices on public lands and evaluates the appropriateness of government enforcement, and it can make recommendations for improvements to practices and legislation.