Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario

Transcription

1 Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario Subject /Title Forest Operations Information Program Division: Branch: Field Services Division/ Enforcement Branch/ Forests Division Forest Management Branch Replaces Directive Same Dated November 2, 2001 Procedure Number ENF Issue Date Policy Reference ENF Program Reference Forest Compliance 1 of 17 NOTE: THIS PROCEDURE MUST BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH POLICY ENF BOTH DIRECTIVES ALSO PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR THE PREPARATION OF A FOREST INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE PLANS. This procedure is written generically for the function or activity of undertaking forest operations compliance inspections whether initiated by forest industry or MNR inspectors. Unique differences based on differing roles and responsibilities are noted. Many of the procedures are excerpts from Guideline for Forest Industry Compliance Planning, January 2005 and should be read in conjunction with this directive. PURPOSE This Procedure: 1. Describes the requirements, standards and process for completing and maintaining compliance forest operations information program (FOIP) inspection reports by both Ministry and forest industry personnel. It includes the scope of inspections, monitoring approach, direction for completing reports, report distribution and checklist items. 2. Identifies the respective roles and responsibilities of MNR and the forest industry when carrying out inspections of forest operations. It is to be read in conjunction with: Policy ENF preceding the FOIP On-Line documentation paper at and Guideline For Forest Industry Compliance Planning January, 2005

2 2 of 17 SCOPE This procedure encompasses all types of forest operations compliance inspections related to the four forest operations and their corresponding activities identified below. Activities have been associated with the operation to which they are most closely related or are most likely to occur. Each operation has a general activity for unforeseen matters and for documenting such matters as garbage on site (non forest operations or industrial), fuel spills, unauthorized Crown land occupation (buildings or structures) etc. Details of Activities and associated checklist items are found in Appendix I to this procedure. 1. Access Operation Activities: Aggregates Area of Concern Fire Prevention Road Construction (includes new and maintenance) Water Crossing (includes new and maintenance) General 2. Harvest Operation Activities: Area of concern Cutting Fire Prevention Wood Measurement/Movement Utilization (Wasteful practices) General 3. Renewal Operation Activities: Fire Prevention Pesticide Application Renewal General 4. Maintenance Operation Activities: Fire Prevention Pesticide Application Tending General

3 3 of 17 BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR CONDUCTING INSPECTIONS It is the responsibility of the forest compliance operations inspector to be familiar with all necessary background information needed to conduct an inspection. That information would include such things as: current maps, information or knowledge relative to any amendments or revisions made to the approved Forest Management Plan (FMP), the Annual Work Schedule (AWS) prescriptions, the MNR District and/or Industry Compliance Plan, and applicable standards guides and guidelines for the subject matter being inspected e.g. Environmental Guidelines for Access Roads and Water Crossings for a culvert/bridge installation. This information should be available to the inspector immediately prior to undertaking any compliance monitoring activity. The purpose of the inspection and status of operations will largely determine if additional work or materials may be required when preparing for an inspection. DETERMINING THE MONITORING APPROACH A number of factors will determine the monitoring approach most suitable to a particular operation or situation. 1. Method and Intensity of Inspection A variety of inspection methods may be used to inspect forest operations. The method chosen depends on the nature of the activity being inspected, and may include on-the-ground inspections, aerial inspections, remote sensing, aerial photography interpretation and other techniques. Inspection intensity will relate directly to the complexity of the operation under inspection e.g. major water crossing versus a drainpipe or a shelterwood versus a clearcut prescription. Some situations may require a combination of methods e.g. ground plus aerial to determine unauthorized harvesting. Where the MNR is verifying an industry report of non-compliance, the best evidence rule applies. That is, the method used must be able to support and defend the verification in the event of a challenge. 2. Timing and Frequency of Inspections The timing and frequency of monitoring activities conducted during actual forest operations will be directed by the compliance strategies developed from the Forest Management Plan, the operations proposed in the Annual Work Schedule and the inspection schedule identified in the Company Compliance Plan and/or District Compliance Plan (Annual Compliance Operations Plan). Unique situations will always arise during operations and inspection reporting must be adjusted accordingly. The Company Compliance Plan (Part II, Annual Schedule of Action) will indicate the subject, planned timing and frequency of inspections for various industry

4 4 of 17 operations. The forest industry is expected to be first on the scene in terms of monitoring, inspecting and reporting of compliance. The MNR Annual Compliance Operation Plan is to identify the priority basis, when and how often District staff will conduct spot check or audit inspections and verifications. MNR is to verify all industry reports of non-compliance. Joint inspections (see definition in ENF ) between MNR and the licence holder are encouraged where practical, feasible and for specific purposes. Joint inspections are not to be considered normal operating practices and should be restricted to situations requiring joint discussion, calibrating standards for specific activities, clarification or issue resolution and to promote ongoing communication. For instance, a start up meeting and inspection could provide the opportunity to meet on-site personnel and identify and discuss items of potential concern (e.g., stream crossings, raptor nests, silvicultural prescriptions, etc.). This could be done prior to the start up of an operation for a new operating block or preferably at the beginning of the operating season for some or all of the operating area identified in the annual work schedule. Forest industry has the lead in providing initial inspections for compliance. As such they are required to complete and submit inspection reports on all operations. MNR undertakes spot-checks, audits and verifications of industry reports. A joint inspection, whether initiated by either MNR or industry staff, would generally occur after the initial inspection is submitted. A joint inspection is not considered to be a stand-alone inspection. Where a joint inspection takes place between the MNR and the forest industry and a FOIP report is filed, there must be an initial FOIP report by either MNR or the forest industry indicating the compliance status of the subject operation. MNR and industry staff will need to consider, in a planned fashion, how they will plan and prioritize inspection activities at the compliance planning stage. To assist in determining the priority, frequency and number of these types of inspections and their resulting reports, inspection staff should consider factors such as: a) Complexity of Operation For example: - Harvest rate and volume (e.g. number of harvesting crews in an area) - Timing and method of operation - Risk to the environment (potential for large impact over a short period of time) - Degree of difficulty in marking boundaries e.g. physical constraints - Special or unique silvicultural prescriptions - Harvesting technique being applied - Wood flow/directives - Wood measurement practices and method b) History/Experience of Operator For example: i) Compliance history of the operator in terms of:

5 5 of 17 - non-compliance in all types operations - the need for follow-up inspections ii) Experience of the operator: - new operator or established - new sub-contractor or established c) Sensitivity, Significance and Economic Value of Resource Affected: For example: - Water crossings (e.g. culvert, bridge, ford, drainage etc. - Areas of Concern - Special Operating Agreements (e.g. cottagers, tourist outfitters, etc.) - Economic return to the Crown - Potential for any environmental damage (e.g., stream bank erosion, major rutting, soil compaction or damage by machinery in spring break-up) INSPECTION AND SAMPLING INTENSITY In addition to determining which method(s) of inspection to employ and the timing and frequency of compliance inspections, inspectors should give consideration to the inspection and sampling intensity of the area being monitored. A more detailed sampling intensity may need to be applied for situations that require statistically sound quantitative data results. For instance, a utilization survey that identifies pieces/hectare through a plot system may need to be used in determining utilization standards in a given area. As a general rule, the most efficient acceptable method of survey designed to best measure the activity being monitored should be employed. This may include such activities as aerial photography, remote sensing and field plots. REPORTING FOREST OPERATIONS INFORMATION PROGRAM (FOIP) REPORTS It is mandatory for the forest industry to report compliance inspection information to the Ministry in an electronic/digital format. Standards for inspection/reporting by industry are prescribed in the Forest Information Manual, Part D., June 2004, The Forest Operations Information Program (FOIP) is an internet application developed by MNR to meet the data standards/requirements for compliance inspection reporting of forest operations. This application is mandatory for use by MNR and forest industry inspectors. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS On the basis of the roles and responsibilities identified in Part I of the Guideline for Forest Industry Compliance Planning, January 2005, the following requirements

6 6 of 17 will be of assistance in developing the monitoring-inspection-reporting schedule for the Annual Compliance Schedule of Action portion of the compliance plan. i) All compliance operations inspection reports must be prepared and submitted in an electronic format using the Forest Operations Information Program (FOIP) and sent to the MNR provincial database as per the following reporting requirements: A. FOIP REPORTING BY FOREST INDUSTRY for COMPLIANT OPERATIONS: HARVEST OPERATION - where an operation is deemed to be complete, In Compliance, and released for audit, forest industry is to submit a FOIP report within 20 working days of when the harvest operation is complete. In addition, MNR is to be notified either verbally or in writing within 10 working days of completion of an operation and prior to commencing any new operation on the block (e.g. silviculture) NOTE: The following is a subdivision of the Harvest operation. At the end of each benchmark, a minimum of one, in progress report must be completed and submitted as follows: i) when a Harvest operation exceeds 500 ha., an in progress report is required after the completion of each 500 ha. or portion thereof, ii) each in progress report will indicate which part of the total Harvest operation area has been completed and is being reported on, iii) operating blocks which are greater than 500 ha. must have similar operating conditions and be occurring on a contiguous area, iv) harvest blocks greater than 150 ha., but with different operating conditions and/or physically separated from each other, must be reported as separate operations. They may not be grouped for reporting purposes. In-progress inspection report types are to be based largely on a risk assessment approach using the above points as opposed to size criteria alone. ACCESS OPERATION - a FOIP report must be submitted to the MNR provincial database within 10 working days of completion of a compliant access operation (e.g. road construction, water-crossing). This requirement remains unchanged. RENEWAL OPERATION - where an operation is deemed to be In Compliance, industry is to submit a completed FOIP report within 20 working days of when the operation is complete and compliant. In addition, MNR is to be notified either verbally or in writing within 10 working days of completion of a compliant renewal operation. MAINTENANCE OPERATION - where an operation is deemed to be In Compliance, industry is to submit a completed FOIP report within 20 working days of when the operation is complete and compliant. In addition, MNR is to be notified

7 7 of 17 either verbally or in writing within 10 working days of completion of a compliant maintenance operation. Inspectors for forest companies must complete and have approved (as per approval designation identified in the SFL Compliance Plan) FOIP inspection reports and submit them to the MNR (database) in digital format. ii) A completed inspection report must be submitted to MNR: within 5 working days for any non-compliance situation, within 5 working days for any situation that is a significant non compliance. * A verbal notification must be provided to the MNR within 24 hours of the act or discovery of the incident, and must be followed by a written report within 5 working days, and at any other additional times as specified in or directed by the forest compliance plan e.g., as scheduled, or in -progress. For all inspection reports, the compliance status is to be specified and all issues and actions where required must be identified. iii) iv) Unless otherwise specified in the compliance plan, Forest Management Plan or AWS, a notice (verbal or written) is usually acceptable notification to the MNR for start-up of a harvest operation, road construction, water crossing, or any other forest operation activity. At a minimum, the notice should be provided to MNR within 5-10 days before commencement of the activity. Companies must record any undesirable conditions that are observed in areas of operation, and which appear to be related to forest management activities e.g. incidents of road/culvert washouts, blow downs, forest fires, insect infestation etc. v) The frequency of inspection and reporting will be determined by such matters as: local and provincial compliance priorities resource values, sensitivity and degree of risk presented by operations as identified in the Forest Management Plan operation size, type and complexity past operational issues and compliance history vi) The MNR has an approved policy and procedure contained in the Forest

8 8 of 17 Compliance Handbook to guide it s staff for all aspects of the Forest Operations Information Program (FOIP). MNR has developed an internet web based reporting system for mandatory use by forest operations compliance inspectors to record compliance inspections. The FOIP application is available for use by industry and MNR and will be supported and maintained by the MNR. The technical standards for electronic reporting are regulated through the Forest Information Manual (FIM) and must be followed. B. FOIP REPORTING BY MNR: MNR must submit a FOIP report to the provincial database for spot-check, audit and joint inspections within the same timelines as specified for forest industry. Where these timelines cannot be met, a verbal or written notice must be provided to the licensee indicating that a report is in preparation or circulation For a compliant spot-check or audit, submit a FOIP report within 20 working days For a MNR discovered non-compliance (not reported by forest industry), submit a FOIP report within 5 working days. Where the noncompliance is assessed as significant, a verbal or written notice is to be provided to the licensee within 24 hours followed by a FOIP submission within 5 working days For a verification of an industry non-compliance report, the industry FOIP report is to be updated (i.e. verified by MNR) within 5 working days. This is not a new FOIP report. Where verification is not possible in the required timeline, a written or verbal notification with reasons and expected completion date is to be provided to the forest industry. MNR inspectors must complete and file an inspection report using the Forest Operations Information Program each time a spot check, audit, or joint inspection is carried out (see Definitions in ENF ). Completed FOIP reports must be approved by an Area Supervisor and submitted to the provincial database. Because FOIP is internet based, submitted reports will be available instantaneously to the SFL company being inspected. Note: All timelines noted in A and B above are maximums. Every effort should be made to complete and submit reports as soon as possible. *Significant infractions (formerly significant and very significant) These are infractions caused by activities that were not documented in the Forest Management Plan and which negatively impact upon the objectives and strategies of the Forest Management Plan. These events would have to be specifically

9 9 of 17 addressed in revisions of the Plan either as a plan amendment or in the periodic (five-year) revisions of the Plan in order to make them acceptable. Examples of significant infractions include: extensive trespass outside of planned allocations; harvesting without a licence where extensive harvesting of merchantable wood occurs; the destruction or removal of significant fish and wildlife habitat that had been afforded protection through the FMP process (e.g. AOC); and substantial cutting in a reserve established to protect the scenic vista associated with a remote tourism lodge. Other examples/types of significant infractions impact the larger forest ecosystem. Examples include infractions that occur in areas excluded from the forest land base for societal reasons, e.g. Old Growth Stands, Areas of Natural And Scientific Interest, Keep it Wild Sites, Ontario Living Legacy sites, native burial sites etc. This may also include destruction or removal of rare, threatened or endangered species habitat. Other significant but non-forest values related occurrences may be where a human caused fire from operations burns a lodge/resort; or where a risk to public health or safety is created from improper or inappropriate aerial spraying or herbicide use. REPORT FILING 1. FOIP Reports When completing an inspection report in FOIP, the systems application provides electronic on - line documentation (Computer Based Training CBT) to explain how reports must be completed. That documentation will be maintained in a current version consistent with this policy and procedure. Inspectors will complete their reports as directed in that on - line document. The program contains a selfexplanatory tutorial and where technical support is available. Completed and approved FOIP reports are submitted directly to the central database for immediate on-line viewing according to permissions granted for viewing. 2 Data Standards All inspectors are required to report the minimum amount of data as per the Guideline for Forest Industry Compliance Planning (see Data Requirements). For forest industry, the data must be formatted and reported in a digital manner that is explained in the company Compliance Plan. The manner with which the information is compiled and transmitted digitally must also be identified and approved in the Compliance Plan. The items listed below represent the minimum data that must be included on all Forest Operations Information Program reports. These are consistent with the requirements identified in the Forest Management Environmental Assessment Declaration Order, June 2003, the Forest Information Manual, June 2004 and the Forest Compliance Handbook (policies & procedures).

10 10 of 17 i) Identification Data Inspector name FMU SFL License number and name Approval number Overlapping License Block name Location Township/Base Map number Lot, Concession, etc. UTM location Operation Type Select one of: Access, Harvest, Renewal, Maintenance Inspection Date Inspection Purpose: (refer to ENF ) Industry to select one of: Start-up, In-progress, Suspended or Completed MNR to select one of: Spot-check, Audit or Verification. Method Select one of: Office, Ground, Aerial, Air/ground, SAP, SAP- Ground Other ii) Compliance Assessment An inspector must report whether each of the activities under the Operation type is; In Compliance, In Compliance - Comments Required or, Not In Compliance. Those terms are defined as follows: In Compliance: A positive assessment provided to an operation or activity as to its status after consideration of all applicable laws, regulations, manuals, rules and requirements. All inspected activities are consistent with standards. For reporting purposes, compliant activities will include matters, which have been assessed as less than perfect due to operational problems and accompanied by a clear explanation and rationale. In Compliance - Comments Required (In Compliance With Comments): Is a status given to inspections, which are assessed to be not fully compliant but not severe enough to warrant a non-compliant status. While still considered to be infractions, they are characterized as being of a minor nature or a minor variance to standards without compromising the intent or integrity of the standard or value being protected. Such assessment may be considered reasonable under certain circumstances in consideration of such things as complexity of forest operations,

11 11 of 17 geography and physical conditions. In all cases, the compliance inspector must provide clear rationale for such assessments and indicate that measures can be taken to improve or overcome such issues in the future. Reports of ICWC are counted in the totals for compliant reports. This status is most commonly used for some wasteful practices (see ENF ). The appropriate checklist item (most applicable) must be identified for each activity that requires comments. Not In Compliance: Is a negative assessment provided to an operation or activity as to its status after consideration of all applicable laws, regulations, manuals, rules and requirements. One or more activities are found to be contrary to applicable laws, regulations, manuals, rules and requirements or standards. The checklist item(s) for each activity (see Appendix I of this Directive) that is not in compliance must be identified. The description should include the location, size of area, number of incidents and any other relevant information. All instances of non-compliance must be reported within five (5) working days using FOIP. iii) Description of Desirable/Undesirable Site Conditions The documenting of observed forest conditions which may have an impact on forest management or sustainability is important information for forest mangers. Specifically, incidents of a road washout in an AOC, blowdown, fire, etc., should be recorded on inspection reports whether they are in compliance or not or are the result of forest operations or not. Appendix I, Checklist Items, provides a summary of the most common items to look for when carrying out an inspection of forest operations. A complete and comprehensive FOIP report will include the following information: a) General Information/Comments This section of the FOIP report provides the opportunity for the inspector to document any general observations on the operation that might not be possible to address elsewhere. It is not to be confused with In Compliance With Comments, which is an assessment of compliance. b) Actions and Follow-up Actions These categories provide opportunities for the inspector to indicate on the report, what actions and follow-up actions they feel will be necessary as a result of what has been observed. For example, in a case of non-compliance where an inspector has recommended corrective action (s), it could be indicated that further inspections are needed and/or training of the operator, etc. All reports of noncompliance are expected to have this section of the report completed.

12 12 of 17 The Supervisor/approver must discuss suggested follow-up actions with the appropriate professional staff prior to sign-off. b) Issues Issues may be of two types: compliance related or task related. See definitions in ENF An issue is an event or occurrence description of a problem or need identified during an inspection that represents something requiring follow-up or action. The inspector at the Activity level of a FOIP report identifies issues. Where an issue is determined to be non-compliant with rules, a significance rating is assigned at the Activity level by the MNR only. Multiple issues related to the same Activity are described individually in an inspection report but are recorded as a singular issue for Annual Reports (each issue may have separate actions/followup). d) Attachments This section of FOIP provides the opportunity for the inspector to indicate whether a map, pictures, word document or other information is attached that would help to explain the observations noted. e) Signatures The inspector who undertook the inspection must sign the report and the supervisor must indicate his/her approval of the report with their signature before submitting the report to the MNR database. ELEMENTS OF A QUALITY INSPECTION REPORT All compliance operations inspection reports have 3 basic elements and follow a logical and analytical thought process of: i) clearly stating what was observed; ii) analyzing and assessing the nature of the observations and iii) identifying specific actions where required. (See following chart). OBSERVATIONS ASSESSMENT ACTION What did you see? Qualify: succinct but thorough Quantify: provide What does it mean? Provide: scale, scope,context analysis & evaluation of observations What must be done? Provide: conclusions general comments actions follow-up actions

13 13 of 17 measurements of size, amount location details rationalization determination of compliance status attachments/map sign-off CLEAR CONCISE SPECIFIC The length of inspection reports and amount of detail/information will vary depending on the complexities involved. Even where operations are reported to be fully compliant, the same process is to be followed. Inspection reports with only checklist boxes completed are unacceptable and do not meet the quality standards for certified inspectors. Adequate description and explanation, which supports the compliance status assessment, must accompany all reports. REPORT DISTRIBUTION Once submitted to the provincial database, an inspection report is immediately available to anyone who has been granted permissions to view within the agency that created the report or the other party. This would generally be the MNR, the Sustainable Forest Licence holder and/or an overlapping licensee who is assigned the inspection function (as established in the SFL Compliance Plan). The details of the inspection reporting process between the forest industry and MNR and SFL/Overlapping licensees must be identified in the SFL Compliance Plan as per the Guideline for Forest Industry Compliance Planning. PUBLIC ACCESS AND REPORT RETENTION-STORAGE The Forest Management Environmental Assessment Declaration Order, June 2003 requires that individual inspection reports from forest operations inspections shall be available for viewing at the local MNR district office by the Local Citizens Committee and the general public. The most recent five years of individual inspection reports shall be available for viewing, and for use in independent forest audits. The public may view and is to be provided with individual inspection reports upon request at a district office but for systems and data security reasons, are not to have direct access to the electronic FOIP program or the MNR electronic database. Where a copy(ies) of an individual inspection report is requested at a ministry district office, a copy(ies) must be provided following Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act rules and requirements. Where a batch or multiple inspection reports are being requested, staff are expected to reasonably process such a request in consideration of such things as volume, resources, time and expense involved. Where the request is considered unreasonable for the district to

14 14 of 17 respond, the applicant should be referred to the district Freedom of Information (FOI) co-ordinator with a formal request for information. The district co-ordinator should contact Forest Management Branch to determine if it is more appropriate for the applicable district or Forest Management Branch to process large information requests. In addition to the above retention requirement, MNR must retain each report for six (6) years after the actual inspection. This allows for determining the application of remedy and enforcement action where necessary as well as for meeting EA retention requirements. Beyond the six-year requirement, any long-term retention is in accordance with the Ministry's record retention policy. While the central database (FOIP) is the main repository for inspection reports, it is recommended that MNR districts retain a backup of all inspections on hardrives, compact disc, or in hard copy. APPENDI I The following checklists of items are those that an inspector needs to consider and report on when conducting a forest operation inspection. It is a general listing of items by activity and should not be considered as the only items that can be inspected. Particular situations may require that additional items be inspected and reported on. Although worded as questions, the response required on an actual inspection report would be, In Compliance, In Compliance With Comments or Non Compliant. CHECKLIST ITEM DESCRIPTION Notes: 1. Primary and Branch road construction and their maintenance are recorded in Access Operations. In special circumstances, e.g. Great Lakes St. Lawrence forest zone, operational roads may be recorded within a harvest operation. Where a water crossing is involved, it is to be recorded under Access Operation Water-Crossing Activity, regardless if primary, branch or operational road. 2. Some Activities and their corresponding Checklists are repeated under one or more Operations. For example Fire Prevention is an Activity in all fouroperation types. 3. Always refer to the applicable legislation, guides or plans for exact wording of terminology, standards and requirements, e.g. Aggregate Resources Act, Forest Fire Prevention Act, Public Lands Act, Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, Fisheries Act (federal), AWS, FMP, etc. HARVEST AND ACCESS OPERATIONS Checklist - Road Construction

15 15 of Is road located inside designated road corridor? 2. Is road built to standards referred to in Forest Management Plan (FMP)? 3. Is road properly drained? 4. Is road clearing in accordance with CFSA requirements (re: wood utilization)? 5. Has traffic safety been considered (signage, sight lines, etc.)? 6. Is maintenance in accordance with FMP? 7. Has road been abandoned in accordance with guidelines? 8. Other Checklist - Aggregates 1. Has aggregate been removed in accordance with the Annual Work Schedule (AWS)? 2. Has rehabilitation been completed properly? 3. Has operator followed Category 14 aggregate standards? 4. Has operator followed operating conditions, if any specified? 5. Has annual Category 14 Aggregate Summary report been filed? 6. Other Checklist - Water Crossing 1. Has operator followed AWS crossing details? 2. Is short-term erosion protection in place? 3. Is long-term erosion protection in place? 4. If applicable, was a sediment control plan followed? 5. Are road approaches stable? 6. Are road approaches erosion mitigated? 7. Is fish passage addressed? 8. Is traffic safety addressed (i.e., signage, guard rails)? 9. Is structure built to meet structural integrity standard? 10. Is crossing abandoned according to guidelines? 11. Is maintenance in accordance with FMP? 12. Other Checklist - Area of Concern 1. Have prescriptions in the AWS or FMP been followed? 2. Have boundaries been properly marked? 3. Have there been operations inside Area Of Concern (AOC) boundary? 4. Has debris been left in a waterbody or watercourse? 5. Have timing restrictions, if applicable, been met? 6. Other Checklist - Fire Prevention (same for all Operations) 1. Are there an adequate number of fire trained personnel on site? 2. Are there adequate amounts of serviceable fire suppression equipment readily available? 3. Are woods modification guidelines or other relevant guidelines being followed?

16 16 of Are appropriate communications capabilities on site? 5. Has machinery been checked for flammable material or removed/disposed of safely? 6. Has mechanical equipment been parked in area free of flammable material? 7. Are appropriate spark arrestors/mufflers on all wood burning appliances/equipment? 8. Are there appropriate serviceable fire extinguishers for all equipment/chain saws? 9. Are power saws placed in a fire safe area or not started within a refueling area? 10. On the work site, were there incidence of smoking while walking/working or materials extinguished in an unsafe manner, noted? 11. Have burning regulations been followed? 12. Have other fire prevention/preparedness measures being followed? 13. Other Checklist - Cutting 1. Have prescriptions in the AWS or FMP been followed? 2. Have operations been within approved boundary? 3. Has cutting proceeded with authority? 4. Have only authorized species been cut? 5. Has residual stand been protected? 6. Has site disturbance occurred (i.e., rutting)? 7. Is treatment in accordance with the forest operation prescriptions? 8. Other Checklist - Utilization (Wasteful Practices) 1. Were high stumps noted? 2. Is there merchantable timber of any length left on site? 3. Are there merchantable trees left standing? 4. Are there lodged trees? 5. Is there unutilized wood chip-fibre? 6. Other Checklist - Wood Measurement Movement 1. Has Crown timber been scaled? 2. Have conditions of Authority to Haul Unscaled Crown Forest Resources been followed? 3. Other RENEWAL and MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS Checklist - Pesticide Application 1. Is treatment in accordance with the forest operation prescriptions? 2. Are operations in accordance with the AWS or FMP?

17 17 of Are operations inside of approved boundary? 4. Have approved pesticides been used? 5. Is posting in place or has notification been given? 6. Other Checklist - Renewal 1. Is treatment in accordance with the forest operation prescriptions? 2. Have operations been in accordance with the AWS or FMP? 3. Has residual stand been protected? 4. Has site disturbance occurred (e.g., rutting)? 5. Other Checklist - Tending 1. Is treatment in accordance with the forest operation prescriptions 2. Have operations been in accordance with the AWS or FMP? 3. Has residual stand been protected? 4. Has site disturbance occurred (e.g., rutting)? 5. Other Checklist General 1. Has garbage or waste been removed? 2. Is garbage of a commercial-industrial nature? 3. Have spills (oil changes, fuel, etc.,) been noted? 4. Other