Ring Creek residents' efforts to ensure responsible logging practices in their area continued this week after documents obtained by the group appeared to show that the company carrying out the logging had not complied with all applicable logging standards.
In April, the number of issues arising from logging in the area, even before the cut block fire that happened on May 20, prompted Ring Creek resident Tyler Freed to file a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for information pertaining to the cut blocks logged by Black Mountain Logging over the past 18 months.
"We have a company that clearly breaks the rules and a ministry that is not upholding regulations," said Freed, the community's designated spokesperson.
"If an operator clearly breaches the terms of its licence and shows a blatant disregard to the risk and hazard, health and welfare of other persons and interests, then serious consideration needs to be given as to whether an operator like this should be granted any additional government contracts. This is just common sense."
The FOI package arrived at the end of May, less than a week after Black Mountain Logging started the slash-pile fire that got away and burned two hectares of cut block near Ring Creek Road. The documents confirmed several of Freed's suspicions.
The permit between Black Mountain Logging and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) included a list of terms and conditions.
According to Freed, three of the 23 conditions were not met: "slash/debris material are not to be burned near the Garibaldi Park Road [Ring Creek Road], which could cause restricted visibility," "material and related equipment are not to be stored on or near the traveled portion of Garibaldi Park Road and materials" and "permittee will be responsible to maintain and/or repair any excessive wear on Garibaldi Park Road."
He and other Ring Creek residents are concerned that the infractions are the result of inadequate government monitoring, but even more worrisome is the ministry's knee-jerk reaction to make excuses for the logging company, he said.
"The government is making it seem that permit terms and conditions are guidelines, not regulations," Freed said.
When questioned about the logging company's practices regarding the three issues identified by Freed, Cheekwan Ho, Ministry of Forestry, Lands and Mines spokesperson, said the company's actions were justified.
With regards to burning near the road, she said, "The key factor in determining how close to the road burning could occur is whether the burning could potentially impact the visibility due to smoke. However, generally when venting indices are within the acceptable range as we understood they were the smoke would be dispersed away from the area the licensee completed the burning within their cutting authority."
Ho said despite the condition outlined in the permit, "the licensee's equipment was temporarily parked on the road under MoTI's permit."
With regard to maintaining and repairing the road after excessive wear, Ho said, "The road was inspected frequently during the term of the permit. The inspections did not identify excessive wear and the permittee was not required to grade or surface the road. The licensee did grade, gravel and ditch the road."
Freed said anyone who drives the road regularly is acutely aware that "its current condition is substandard to its historical condition."
The emails included in the FOI documents also confirmed Freed's suspicion that a broken culvert, which caused a washout on the road, was the logging company's fault.
The culvert was repaired quickly after Freed contacted ministry officials, but he doesn't understand why the ministry, who spends taxpayers' dollars, paid for the repair.
In the email to MoTI area manager Jesse Morwood, B.C. Timber Sales (BCTS) forest technician Tennessee Trent wrote: "I know for a fact that the logger did bend and then re-straighten that pipe. BCTS will pay for that repair."
The final cost of the repair was $5,625 before taxes, according to FOI documents.
Ho said that because culvert replacement responsibility was not specified in the terms and conditions of the permit, it is "therefore the responsibility of the Crown."
Freed said he was not convinced and found it ironic that on this specific issue, the ministry was choosing to adhere to the permit's terms and conditions meticulously.
"Why are the taxpayers responsible for an operator's neglect? Where is the accountability?" he said.
"We've seen so many misallocations of tax dollars. Is this another one? Shouldn't we demand more from our government?"
Freed said it's disappointing that the government bodies entrusted with safeguarding and maintaining Crown land are doing such a poor job of monitoring the situation.
"It only lowers the integrity of the ministry and the government," he said.
"The land belongs to the people, we entrust the government to manage it, and they're making excuses and allowances we need to hold government to a higher standard."
Freed and Ring Creek residents are most concerned with one allowance they consider a massive safety and fire hazard the amount of debris and slash still left on the block, unburned by the fire three weeks ago.
After the fire, Black Mountain Logging supervisor Laren Saindon called the remaining wood "small, fine residues." He declined to comment this week on the FOI documents.
Freed said "small, fine residue" is not an appropriate description of the mess left behind.
In response to Freed's concerns about logging waste cleanup, planning forester Shaotang Deng wrote:
"I fully agree that waste levels are a bit excessive in some areas of this block. The high volume of waste on the site was due to small-diameter fir being too small to yard economically in a cable setting. The licence holder has been billed for leaving waste "
Freed said he was convinced that if a logging company decides that leaving excess waste and paying the fine is the most economical option, then the fine is not high enough.
"Why is it easier for the operator to not fulfill the conditions of their licence and leave significant hazard behind for others?" he said.
"There's an increased risk and hazard to the communities, homes and families in the area. The fire three weeks ago was only 300 metres from the closest home."
In the end, Freed said it's the integrity of the logging company and the ministries responsible for monitoring the logging activities that is compromised.
"They're both justifying a public hazard and this is one block that thousands of people view on a yearly basis it makes you wonder what they leave behind in cut blocks in the middle of nowhere," he said.
"It's about accountability."
