Logging road snakes through valley. (photo/ID 148104416 © Scottshymko | Dreamstime.com )

By Kevin Rothwell

Audit calls for more funds and better tracking

Auditor general’s report states B.C. Forest Service roads lack maintenance

Jan 19, 2021 | 1:12 PM

A new report from the province’s auditor general indicates B.C. is doing a poor job of maintaining forest service roads (FSRs).

The audit assessed whether the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development managed safety and environmental risks on FSRs in accordance with its policies.

While FSRs are built primarily to access timber for forestry operations, they are often used for other industrial and commercial purposes, and provide important access to communities, private residences, recreation and wilderness areas. FSRs are not built or maintained to the same standards as public roadways, but proper upkeep is critical to help ensure the safety of road users and protect the environment.

The audit concluded the ministry did not manage safety and environmental risks on FSRs in accordance with its policies.

In 2019-20, the natural resource districts received only about 25 per cent of its budget requests for maintenance on roads they had deemed as priority. And about $9 million worth of high-priority maintenance and repair work was defunded.

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“We found that the ministry did not complete critical maintenance and repairs on roads, bridges and major culverts that are part of the 58,000 kilometers of FSRs in the province,” Michael Pickup, auditor general said. “The audit also found that the ministry’s information on inventory, inspections and maintenance was inconsistent, difficult to share and, at times, inaccurate. These gaps made it challenging for the ministry to monitor and track maintenance activity.”

The report includes nine recommendations to help the ministry meet its own expectations for undertaking inspection and maintenance work on FSRs. The recommendations include tracking information required to determine if inspections and repairs are completed on time and developing an approach to ensure that FSRs are adequately maintained.