An audit by the B.C. Forest Practices Board found five significant non-compliance issues within the Valemount Community Forest Company Ltd. 

The audit, according to a news release from the board Tuesday (Dec. 17), found that bridge construction and maintenance continue to be a pervasive issue in the B.C. forestry industry.

The board audited all of Valemount Community Forest's activities between July 1 and 28, 2023. Those activities included timber harvesting, road and major construction, maintenance and deactivation, wildfire protection and planning. 

The board said the licensee complied with most requirements, but the report identified five significant non-compliances issues, with two related to bridge construction and maintenance and another two related to wildfire protection.

While there were no safety concerns with the bridges installed during the audit period, the licensee didn't have any of the legally required documents outlining how it would ensure these bridges were safe and structurally sound for industrial use. 

B.C. Forest Practices Board chair Keith Atkinson said the board continues to see licensee fall short of practice requirements for their bridges.

"This can put the safety of truck drivers and other industrial road users at risk. We encourage all licensees to review professional practice guidelines to ensure they understand when and how to meet these requirements."

The report also identified two non-compliances related to wildfire protection. The audit found that no fuel breaks were created before burning slash piles, leading to fires spreading outside of cutblock boundaries. 

"It is absolutely critical that forest operators take every precaution when abating fire hazards, especially if they are burning in a high-risk area," Atkinson said.

Other non-compliance issues included harvest reporting. 

The report concluded that the level of non-compliance found in the audit "does not give the Board confidence that the licensee is adequately managing for legally required stewardship values."

The board's 2023 audit program randomly selected the Prince George Natural Resource District, and within that district, two agreements and one licence were selected, which are all held by the Valemount Community Forest.