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Forestry operations near Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Enderby earn passing grade

B.C.’s Forest Practices Board does audit of Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land) forest licence
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The yellow portion of this map is the Okanagan Shuswap Natural Resource District (NRD), the green are parks and protected areas, and the tiny purple areas are where audit activities were undertaken. They can be seen southwest of Salmon Arm near Highway 97B, southeast of Sicamous near the northwest tip of Mabel Lake, and at the northeast end of Shuswap Lake. (Forest Practices Board map)

Yucwmenlúcwu forestry operation near Salmon Arm has passed an audit.

B.C.’s Forest Practices Board, which is an independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, completed an audit of non-replaceable forest licence (NRFL) A89359, held by Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land) 2007 LLP. In a March 23, 2023 media release, the Forest Practices Board said Yucwmenlúcwu’s planning and practices generally complied with B.C.’s forestry legislation.

Areas audited are near Salmon Arm, Enderby and Sicamous.

The audit covered activities conducted between Sept. 1, 2020, and Sept. 22, 2022. The activities included forest stewardship and site planning, timber harvesting, wildfire protection and silviculture, as well as constructing, maintaining and deactivating roads and drainage structures. Auditors assessed the activities for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), the Wildfire Act and applicable regulations and legal orders.

“Our audit found that Yucwmenlúcwu complied with most requirements of FRPA and the Wildfire Act,” said Bruce Larson, vice-chair of the Forest Practices Board. “However, the audit identified some practices that need to be improved. Yucwmenlúcwu did not always conduct fire hazard assessments after harvesting, or take precautions to prevent damage to nearby trees when burning slash piles.”

The audit also found four of the cutblocks examined were not regenerated by the required date. Yucwmenlúcwu recognized this error prior to the audit and took steps to regenerate these cutblocks in 2023.

The licence permits Yucwmenlúcwu forestry operations in the North Okanagan Shuswap area within the territories of the Secwépemc and Syilx Nations. To learn more, you can go to the website, www.bcfpb.ca, where you can download the audit report.

The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices on public lands and the appropriateness of government enforcement. It can also make recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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