A Forest Practices Board audit has found several instances of noncompliance in operations of the McBride Community Forest in the Robson Valley.
Issues included failure to show road locations on site plan maps; five access roads were upgraded and used without authorization; the status of cutblocks was not reported to government when required; and accurate silviculture information was not maintained by the community forest.
Collectively the concerns raise serious questions about the community forest corporation's diligence and attention to detail, the Board said in a statement.
Officials with the McBride Community Forest Corporation (MCFC) responded that the organization "accepted the findings" and "accepts full responsibility." Board chair Rick Thompson said "MCFC takes very seriously the findings...and has already undertaken steps to improve in all five cases outlined in the FPB report." The McBride community forest was selected for audit by a random draw. Valemount's community forest was chosen at the same time and that audit resulted in a clean audit report last December.