Whereas for years the provincial government has approved the establishment of private land parcels that are only accessed by way of forest service roads, which are maintained by and at the discretion of the forest companies that use them; And whereas the current and expected to worsen downturn in logging activities in BC is resulting in forest companies withdrawing their activities from the bush and ceasing maintenance of those forest service roads, which leaves residents stranded with no access to their properties: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial government to undertake a review of the provinces many forest service roads to determine which ones are critical for the publics accessegress and develop a plan to maintain them as public roads.
Ministry of Forestry, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Forest Service Roads FSR are not built or maintained to the same standards as paved public roadways. Most FSRs have gravel surfaces and are narrow often one lane wide and many are not maintained for public vehicular access. There may be roadside brush limiting visibility, soft shoulders, more and tighter curves, with road grades that are much steeper than are encountered on public highways. Users are obligated to drive FSRs commensurate with existing road conditions under the Occupiers Liability Act. The provincial government may approve the establishment of private land parcels that are only accessed by way of FSRs, and these approvals are not accompanied by a commitment or resources to provide for an increased level of FSR maintenance to serve these new residences. Section 796 of the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation, outlines FSR maintenance obligations: A person required to maintain a road must ensure all of the following: a the structural integrity of the road prism and clearing width are protected; b the drainage systems of the road are functional; c the road can be used safely by industrial users. The Ministry understands the limited nature of this regulation as it relates to safe access to communities and rural residences, and their business model is responsive to serving rural residences. The Ministry tracks which FSRs are critical for the publics accessegress and allocates the limited operational maintenance funding primarily to FSRs accessing communities and rural residences. Accordingly, Resource Districts with the highest usehighest risk FSRs serving rural communities receive an increased share of the limited operational maintenance funding. Overall, the Ministry Engineering Program and the forest industry undertake considerable effort to collectively and effectively manage the FSR network to mitigate risk and facilitate user safety and environmental protection commensurate with legislation, regulation, policy, road data systems and available resources. The Ministry is seeking renewed guidance from government to help confirm resource priorities moving forward. At this time, the Ministry will continue to rely upon existing legislation, regulations and policy guidance and our dedicated professional and technical Engineering Program experts on the ground to ensure our FSRs are safe for all users while being mindful of the environment commensurate with existing resources.