A new Forest Practices Board report says the province needs to do more to ensure logging activity protects B.C. communities from wildfires.
Results of a two-year investigation by the board were released Thursday (June 19), finding the government needs to alter regulations to make cutblock clean-up easier, be stricter in holding forestry companies accountable, and encourage local communities to make wildfire risk reduction plans available to logging companies.
The board found that when forestry companies and local communities do follow guidelines and go the extra mile to include modern wildfire management techniques in logging activities, there is real progress in reducing communities' wildfire risk.
The Forest Practices Board specifically studied areas within the wildland-urban interface, where communities meet the forest. These are naturally places with greater wildfire risk. They are also places where the forestry industry is very active in many parts of B.C.
There are strict rules governing debris in the interface zones, but in places right outside, the rules don't apply. If a cutblock is within a municipality, for example, the interface rules don't apply.
The board found other issues with rules meant to keep smoke out of communities. These limits can actually make wildfire risk worse by restricting when debris piles can be burned and therefore making it more difficult to clear them out.
Compliance is also a problem. Less than a quarter of fire hazard assessments were done on time by the forestry operators studied, and less than a third met the legal requirements when completed.
"Fire hazard assessments are a critical requirement for forestry activities, yet unclear definitions, poor implementation and outdated standards hinder their effectiveness," the investigation found.
The investigation also found wildfire risk is not being properly considered in tree-planting efforts. Standards were introduced in 2016 governing the mix of trees that should be planted after logging, but were only followed in 17 per cent of licenses sampled in the investigation.
The board makes several recommendations, including for forestry companies to manage wildfire risk while work is underway, for the provincial government to include municipalities in the interface, to improve coordination between industry and communities, to modernize hazard assessment guidelines and to incentivize faster debris cleanup.
The Ministry of Forests is still reviewing these recommendations, but told Black Press Media that some related changes are already in the works.
Rules need changed
Many of the problems stem from outdated, unclear and arbitrary regulations.
An example given is the rules that require loggers to clean up the debris left behind on cutblocks within a certain amount of time.
Rules are strict in the interface zone, but lax in nearby areas that are also close to homes. In those adjacent areas, companies don't need to remove piles for 30 months, which allows the wood to dry out and become hazardous.
The board has recognized this problem for at least six years. It likely contributed to the Shovel Lake fire in 2018 near Fraser Lake, which grew to 92,000 hectares and seriously threatened local communities.
Burn restrictions can also be counterproductive. Because forestry companies are only allowed to burn when conditions are just right for two days in a row, it can be difficult to get rid of debris piles.
Some local operators are coming up with solutions. The Cheakamus Community Forest created custom venting forecasts to identify more times when burning piles wouldn’t swamp communities with smoke.
The Líl̓wat Nation bought an air curtain that produces less smoke and is safer than burning open slash piles.
There are also problems with how forestry operators assess wildfire hazards. Many are using outdated methods and not completing assessments quickly enough.
The board would also like to see forestry operations incorporate community wildfire risk reduction plans into logging efforts.
Often, forestry companies can't access these plans, so even if they wanted to log or thin forests to help local towns, they might not know where to do the work.
An industry in 'crisis'
Beyond the regulatory hurdles, the report acknowledges that the work can be too expensive for what companies are paid for the timber.
This is a major hurdle, according to the Council of Forest Industries (COFI).
"The forest industry is in crisis due to uncertainty around access to wood, an inability to get permits on a timely basis, and economic pressures," said COFI President Kim Haakstad in an emailed statement.
Haakstad said that while forestry professionals do have the expertise to contribute to wildfire risk reduction, the sector is facing significant challenges.
"For the industry to sustain the people, equipment, and operations needed to support wildfire risk reduction, these activities must be economically viable," she said.
COFI supports the view that clearing regulatory burdens and better coordination between local wildfire risk reduction plans and forestry operations are both necessary.
But Haakstad said local communities, government, First Nations and forestry companies all need to work together and share the cost.
"Industry cannot carry the burden alone on public land," she said.
