Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | BC Forest Practices Board. 2014. Management of karst resources features on northern Vancouver Island, Special Investigation. FPB/SIR/39. |
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| Organization | BC Forest Practices Board |
| URL | https://www.bcfpb.ca/sites/default/files/reports/SIR39%20-%20Management%20of%20Karst%20Resource%20Features%20on%20Northern%20Vancouver%20Island.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | In March 2007, government issued an Order To Identify Karst Resource Features For The North Island – Central Coast Forest District3 (the Order) under the Government Actions Regulation (GAR) that forestry activities not damage or render ineffective karst caves, significant surface karst features, and important features and elements within high or very high vulnerability karst terrain in the North Island – Central Coast District. However, the Order does not provide any practice requirements, so it is left up to forest professionals and forest licensees to determine how to comply with it. This special investigation was conducted to assess operations of five licensees operating in the Vancouver Island portion of the district where harvesting and road construction activities have occurred since the Order came into effect. Planning and field practices were evaluated to determine if licensees were compliant with the Order and whether planning and recommended best management practices followed two guidance documents. However, what is important under the current regulatory framework is how operational forestry activities affect karst features, not the process used to achieve the results. The Board investigators did not determine any karst resource features that had been damaged or rendered ineffective by forestry activities. Licensees prescribed and implemented management strategies for all identified karst features, even though they are only required to protect those features identified in the GAR Order. In the forestry context, managing karst features falls within the scope of ‘practice of professional forestry,’ and oversight of assessor qualifications is usually exercised by forest professionals using their professional principles and available guidelines. Since there are no formal qualification criteria for individuals completing assessments, it is up to the forest professional to ensure individuals completing these assessments are qualified. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island North |
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| Project status | complete |
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