BURNABY, BC — The Chief Executive Officer of BC's Land Reserve Commission, Kirk Miller, has found that a Port Alberni firm did not contravene provincial regulations governing forest practices on private land while hauling timber on Vancouver Island.

"After a thorough review I've determined that Dennis Francoeur Backhoeing Ltd. did not contravene any provisions of the Private Land Forest Practices Regulation," Miller announced. "In fact, I commend the company for immediately and voluntarily ceasing operations while the matter was being investigated, and co-operating fully with the Commission in resolving this issue."

A hearing by Miller was called after public complaints were received by the Land Reserve Commission about run-off into Cold Creek from a logging road used by Dennis Francoeur Backhoeing Ltd. to haul timber last November.

The hearing was held at the LRC office on March 22. It was attended by the company, a representative of the Private Forest Landowners' Association (PFLA), LRC staff and BC Environment.

"I determined there was no breach of the Private Land Forest Practices Regulation," said Miller. "And I was impressed by the actions of the landowner when the sedimentation problem was first identified. The company ceased hauling and took measures to repair the road surfaces and drainage structures to minimize the potential for further sedimentation."

"Co-operation of this nature bodes well for the future of private land forestry in BC," added Miller. "It also demonstrates that BC’s system for regulating forestry on private land works. Public complaints, staff investigation, landowner cooperation, input from the PFLA and BC Environment each contributed to a satisfactory resolution for all concerned."

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Background:

BC's Land Reserve Commission was formed on April 1, 2000 when the Agricultural Land Commission and Forest Land Commission were combined. It consists of ten Commissioners appointed by the Provincial government. Its Chief Executive Officer is Kirk Miller.

The Agricultural Land Reserve consists of approximately 4.7 million hectares or 5% of the land mass of BC. The ALR can be thought of as a Provincial land use zone in favour of agriculture in which non-agricultural uses are regulated and farm activities are encouraged.

The Forest Land Reserve consists of approximately 920,000 hectares of private land and 15,000,000 hectares of Crown land, making up just over 16% of the province. The private land in the FLR is located mainly on Vancouver Island (70%) and in the Kootenays (20%); the Crown FLR is located primarily in the Kootenay and Cariboo areas, and on Vancouver Island.