The investigation into Columbia National Investments (CNI) over tree harvesting on their land has been completed.
Earlier this month, Ed Steeves, chair of the Sun-shine Coast Regional District (SCRD), and resident Hans Penner both received letters from Stuart Macpherson, executive director of the Private Managed Forest Council, concerning the investigation.
Last spring, CNI was harvesting in the Dakota Ridge area. Some community members, believing they were over-harvesting the area and contravening regulations, filed a complaint with the Council. After quite a long wait and some correspondence back and forth from Penner, Macpherson released the report on the investigation, which was received by the SCRD as communication at the board's infrastructure committee meeting April 3.
In his letter to Steeves, Macpherson said, "The investigation has confirmed that Columbia National Investment Ltd. did not meet tree retention requirements adjacent to a small stream, contrary to the requirements of section 19 of the regulation." He goes on to say that a Council specialist could find no impacts from the incident or evidence of harm. In looking at all the information from the investigation, Macpherson said, "the Council has determined that an administrative penalty or remediation order was not warranted."
In an interview with Coast Reporter, Macpherson said he had an informal discussion with Dan Bouman of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association in the spring, when Bouman stated his concerns over possible over-harvesting by CNI. Subsequently, Penner filed a formal complaint and the SCRD sent follow-up letters expressing their concerns.
In essence, the Council report said that in 12 of CNI's 13 measured areas, the company either met or exceeded regulation requirements, and that in one 100-metre swatch CNI cut down 20 per cent too much (CNI was to leave 10 trees and they left only eight). Taking into account the one incident and the fact there was no perceptual harm done to the stream or the habitat, the Council decided that the measures put in place by CNI to avoid future errors were enough and didn't warrant further penalty.
The report said from the outset, CNI did not contest the investigation, and the Council found that while the company had measures in place, it was still responsible for better measures.
To meet the report's findings, Macpherson said CNI filed a new, updated harvesting plan with them and sent two staff members to a Council run workshop on forest retention and stream management.
