The province has released its findings from the Audit that was conducted in October of Gitxsan Forest License Inc. (GLFI) in the Skeena Stikine Natural Resource District.
The report found that the company met all requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act for planning and timber harvesting, as well as road construction and maintenance activities.
However, the report did find that GLFI did not meet reforestation requirements on a number of cutblocks that were harvested in 2004 and earlier by a previous owner of the forest license.
“GLFI took over this tenure three years ago, and that transfer included the legal and financial obligation to achieve free growing on sites harvested by previous owners of the forest license,” said Forest Practices Board Chair Kevin Kriese.
He added that auditors found six of 10 cutblocks where free growing was not achieved by the required dates,
The GLFI has initiated discussions with the government to address the condition of these sites.
According to a news release, the audit examined all forestry activities carried out on forest license A16831 between October 2019 and october 2021.
This included harvesting of 29 cutblocks, construction of 43.7 kilometres of road and maintenance of almost 900 kilometres of road, as well as reforestation and wildfire prevention activities.
The forest license is located north of Smithers and includes the communities of Hazelton and New Hazelton.
Additionally, it falls within the territories of the Gitxsan, Gitanyow, Kitselas, Lake Babine, Skii km Lax Ha and Wet’suwet’en Nations and the Nisga’a Treaty Nass Wildlife Area.