British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 independent forest-practices watchdog says there害羞草研究所檚 a risk that a coastal island won害羞草研究所檛 have enough old-growth trees in the future due to inadequate monitoring of harvesting.

The Forest Practices Board says it began looking into old-growth forests on Quadra Island, a 310-square-kilometre Island off Campbell River, after receiving a complaint from an environmental group.

The board says it looked into the situation and found licensees 害羞草研究所渄id not comply with some aspect of forestry legislation害羞草研究所� and more government oversight is needed 害羞草研究所渢o identify and conserve old forests.害羞草研究所�

Board chair Keith Atkinson says in a release that the review found 害羞草研究所渘o one is responsible for monitoring or ensuring that Quadra Island害羞草研究所檚 old forests are conserved, or that enough mature forests are protected from logging.害羞草研究所�

The review concludes that old-growth management must be improved to ensure enough old growth is present on the island in the future.

According to the board, Quadra Island has very little forest older than 250 years due to harvesting and a number of natural disturbances, but there is an abundance of trees 80-to-120-years old that need to be 害羞草研究所渟et aside to develop into old forest.害羞草研究所�

The protection is needed, the board says, in order for Quadra Island to meet provincial targets for the amount of old forest and biodiversity in B.C.

害羞草研究所淚t is up to the provincial government to understand what old-forest values exist in the Quadra landscape unit and ensure that forest licensees害羞草研究所� plans include measurable or verifiable commitments to manage them,害羞草研究所� Atkinson says.

The board害羞草研究所檚 review on Quadra Island found one of the licensees, TimberWest Forest Corp., 害羞草研究所渄oes not have an effective strategy害羞草研究所� to make sure enough mature forest in its licence area survives to become old forest.

害羞草研究所淭he report includes a recommendation that TimberWest amend its forest stewardship plan to include a strategy for the recruitment of old forest that describes how it will ensure the full target amount of old forest is achieved,害羞草研究所� Atkinson says in the statement.

Mosaic Forest Management, which manages forest planning, operations and product sales for TimberWest, says it is 害羞草研究所渃ommitted to sustainable forest stewardship害羞草研究所� in response to the board害羞草研究所檚 findings.

害羞草研究所淔or decades, TimberWest has not harvested old forest on Quadra Island, and has no plans to do so,害羞草研究所� a statement from Mosaic says. 害羞草研究所淚n Mosaic害羞草研究所檚 view the establishment of old growth management areas cannot be finalized without continued collaboration with First Nations and the provincial government.害羞草研究所�

The original complaint to the Forest Practices Board was lodged by the Discovery Islands Forest Conservation Project, which told the board that old-growth remnants on Quadra Island are 害羞草研究所渁t-risk of being harvested.害羞草研究所�

READ ALSO: