Promoting proper forest practices : Forestry Assistance Bureau Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)

2007·0.59 MB·English

by  Montana.Legislature.Legislative Audit Division

Legislative Audit Division
Stateof Montana
ReporttotheLegislature
Performance Audit
July2007
Promoting Proper Forest Practices
Forestry AssistanceBureau
Departmentof Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)
Forestpracticesgenerallyrefertoactivitiesrelatedtotimbersales.Itis
importanttoensureforestpracticesareconductedinwaystoprotectforest
resources.ThisauditreportdiscussesDNRC’seffortstopromoteproper
forestpractices.Topicsdiscussedinclude:
 Forestpracticesgenerallyrelyuponvoluntarycompliancewith
forestrybestmanagementpractices(BMP).
 DNRC’sforestpracticescontrolsarecomprisedofpartnerships,
education,andBMPaudits.
 DNRC’sprocessforpromotingproperforestpracticesnearwater
achievessimilarresultsasstateswithmoreregulatory-based
requirements.
 TofurtherstrengthenBMPaudits,DNRCandtheBMPTechnical
WorkingGroupshouldexpandBMPauditselectioncriteria.
Directcomments/inquiriesto:
LegislativeAuditDivision
Room160,StateCapitol
POBox201705
06P-12 HelenaMT 59620-1705
http://leg.mt.gov/css/audit
Helpeliminatefraud,waste,andabuseinstategovernment.CalltheFraudHotlineat
1-800-222-4446statewideor444-4446inHelena.
PERFORMANCEAUDITS
Performance audits conducted by the Legislative Audit Division are designed to assess state
government operations. Fromthe audit work,a determinationis made as towhether agencies and
programs are accomplishing their purposes, and whether they can do so with greater efficiency
and economy. The audit work is conducted in accordance with audit standards set forth by the
UnitedStatesGovernmentAccountabilityOffice.
Members of the performance audit staff hold degrees in disciplines appropriate to the audit
process. Areas of expertise include business and public administration, mathematics, statistics,
economics,politicalscience,criminaljustice,computerscience,education,andbiology.
Performance audits are performed at the request of the Legislative Audit Committee which is a
bicameral andbipartisanstandingcommittee of theMontana Legislature.The committee consists
ofsixmembersoftheSenateandsixmembersoftheHouseofRepresentatives.
MEMBERSOFTHELEGISLATIVEAUDITCOMMITTEE
SenatorJoeBalyeat,ViceChair RepresentativeBillBeck
SenatorGregBarkus RepresentativeBillGlaser
SenatorSteveGallus RepresentativeBetsyHands
SenatorDaveLewis RepresentativeHalJacobson
SenatorLyndaMoss RepresentativeMikePhillips
SenatorMitchTropila RepresentativeJohnSinrud
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT DIVISION
ScottA.Seacat,LegislativeAuditor DeputyLegislativeAuditors:
ToriHunthausen, JamesGillett
ChiefDeputyLegislativeAuditor AngieGrove
July2007
TheLegislativeAuditCommittee
oftheMontanaStateLegislature:
ThisisourperformanceauditoftheDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConservation’s
(DNRC)effortstopromoteproperforestpracticesinMontana.Forestpracticesgenerallyreferto
activitiesrelatedtotimbersales.OurauditfoundDNRChascontrolsinplaceandaprocessto
audittheuseofforestrybestmanagementpractices(BMP).Thisreportmakesarecommendation
onhowDNRCcouldstrengthenitsBMPauditprocess.
WewishtoexpressourappreciationtothemanagementandstaffofDNRCandforestpractices
stakeholdersfortheircooperationandassistanceduringtheaudit.Thedepartment’sresponseto
thisreportisincludedattheendofthereport.
Respectfullysubmitted,
/s/ScottA.Seacat
ScottA.Seacat
LegislativeAuditor
Room160·StateCapitolBuilding·POBox201705·Helena,MT·59620-1705
Phone[phone]·FAX[phone]·[email protected]
Legislative Audit Division
Performance Audit
Promoting Proper Forest Practices
Forestry AssistanceBureau
Departmentof Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)
MembersoftheauditstaffinvolvedinthisauditwereSteveErb,
JoeMurray,andMistyWallace.
Table of Contents
ListofFiguresandTables.......................................................................iii
AppointedandAdministrativeOfficials..................................................iv
ChapterI–Introduction............................................................................................................................1
Introduction...............................................................................................1
AuditObjectives.......................................................................................1
AuditScopeandMethodology.................................................................1
IssueforFurtherStudy.............................................................................2
ReportOrganization..................................................................................3
ChapterII–Montana'sForestPracticesRegulatoryFramework.........................................................5
Introduction...............................................................................................5
ExistingStatuteEncouragesVoluntaryBestManagement
Practices....................................................................................................5
FireHazardReductionLaw.................................................................6
BMPNotificationLaw........................................................................6
StreamManagementZoneLaw...........................................................7
ChapterIII–ForestPracticesComponents.............................................................................................9
Introduction...............................................................................................9
Conclusion: PartnershipsandEducationHaveEnhancedthe
ImplementationofSoundForestPractices...............................................9
Conclusion: On-siteInspectionsofForestPracticesand
LandownerConsultationsHelpComplianceWithBMPs......................10
Conclusion: BMPAuditsareanEssentialComponentfor
DNRCtoEvaluateifForestPracticeswereConducted
Responsibly.............................................................................................11
Conclusion: VoluntaryBMPsareUsedaHighPercentageof
TimeNearWater....................................................................................12
UseofBMPstoProtectWaterisPartofForestPractices
Culture...............................................................................................13
HowDoMontana’sForestPracticesComparewithOtherStates?........14
DoStateswithSpecificForestPracticesLawsand
RegulationsHaveBetterForestPracticesTrackRecordsin
ProtectingWaterResources?.............................................................14
Conclusion: Montana’sAdministrationofForest
PracticesAchievesSimilarResultsInProtectingWater
Resources.....................................................................................15
ChapterIV–StrengtheningtheBMPAuditProcess.............................................................................17
Introduction.............................................................................................17
BMPAuditsMainlyFocusonForestPracticesNearStreams...............17
CurrentProcessDoesNotIncludeAllHigh-RiskFactorsin
DNRC’sBMPAuditSelectionPool.................................................18
PotentialHigh-RiskSitesNotConsideredforBMPAudits..............18
BMPAuditSelectionCriteriaShouldBeExpanded..............................21
SomeForestPracticesNotTargetedwithCurrentProcess...............21
Pagei
Table of Contents
ChangingConditionsDictateNeedForNewSelection
Criteria...............................................................................................22
BMPAuditSelectionCriteriashouldbeExpanded..........................22
AppendixA–AdministrationandEvolutionofForestPracticesinMontana.................................A-1
TheDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConservation.....................A-1
ForestryAssistanceBureauAdministerstheForestPractices
Program...........................................................................................A-1
ForestPracticesFundingandFTE.............................................A-2
TheCleanWaterActChangedForestPractices...................................A-4
HouseJointResolution49StudiesLedtoMontana’sCurrent
ForestPracticesFramework............................................................A-5
Pageii
List of Figures and Tables
Figure
Figure1 ExampleofImproperForestPractices.............................................20
Table
Table1 ApplicationandEffectivenessofBMPs..........................................13
Table2 ForestPracticesFunding................................................................A-3
Pageiii
Appointed and Administrative Officials
DepartmentofNatural MarySexton,Director
ResourcesandConservation
BobHarrington,Administrator,ForestryDivision
RobertEthridge,Chief,ForestryAssistanceBureau
DanRogers,ForestStewardshipProgramSpecialist,Forestry
AssistanceBureau
Pageiv
July 2007 06P-12 Performance Audit Highlights
Promoting Proper Forest Practices
A system exists to promote proper forest practices in Montana and protect
water resources. This system could be enhanced by auditing forestry best
management practices on a broader spectrum of timber harvest sites.
AuditFindings
Thetermforestpracticesgenerallyrefertoactivitiesrelatedtotimberharvest.Montana’scurrentforest
practicesregulatoryframeworkconsistsofbothmandatoryrequirementsandvoluntaryapplications.The
majorityofon-the-groundforestpracticesactivities,suchasroaddesignandbuilding,timberharvest
operations,andstreamcrossingsareadministeredusingvoluntaryforestrybestmanagementpractices
(BMPs).Inresponsetoa1987amendmenttothefederalCleanWaterAct,voluntaryBMPswere
developedinMontanaasaprimarytooltoprotectwaterresourcesfromnon-pointsourcesofpollution
duringforestpracticesactivities.
AuditworkfoundMontana’ssystemtopromoteproperforestpracticesconsistsofthreemain
components.Theseinclude:
 Partnershipsandeducationtoenhanceimplementationofsoundforestpractices.
 On-siteinspectionsofforestpracticesactivitiesandlandownerconsultationstoimprovecompliance
withBMPs.
 BiennialBMPauditswhichareanessentialcomponentfortheDepartmentofNaturalResourcesand
Conservation(DNRC)toevaluateifforestpracticeswereconductedresponsibly.
WecomparedMontana’strackrecordforprotectingforestwaterresourcestostateswithhigherlevelsof
statutoryrequirementsrelatedtoforestpractices.OurreviewfoundMontana’sprocess,whichrelies
heavilyonvoluntaryBMPs,appearstoachievesimilarresultsinprotectingwaterresourcesasstateswith
amoreregulation-orientedstructure.UsingBMPstoprotectwaterresourceshasbecomepartofthe
cultureofconductingforestpracticesinMontana.
DNRCusessiteselectioncriteriatorandomlyselect40to45“high-risk”timberharvestsitesforbiennial
BMPaudits.Tobeconsideredhigh-risk,anyportionofatimbersalemustbelocatedwithin200feetofa
streamorotherwatersource.Thecurrentselectioncriterialimitsotherhigh-risksitesfrombeing
consideredforaBMPaudit.Inoneexample,aroadconstructedforatimbersalehadover100stream
crossingsbutthetimberharvestdidnotqualifytobeselectedbecausetheactualharvestsitewasnot
within200feetofwater.Auditdocumentationdemonstratedroadsurfacedrainage,culvertinstallation,
andotherstreamcrossingshavethehighestdeparturesfromBMPsandarethehighestpotentialsources
ofnon-pointwaterpollution.ThecurrentBMPauditselectioncriteriaoffocusingontimberharvests
conductednearwaterhavebeenusedsince1989.Whileanimportantcomponentoftheprocess,itdoes
notconsiderseveralotherhigh-riskfactorssuchasroadconstruction,topography,soiltype,logging
method,etc.Timberindustryrepresentativesindicateddifferentselectioncriteriashouldbeusedto
provideabroaderperspectiveofforestpracticesactivities-notjustthosewhereaharvestwasconducted
within200feetofawatersource.
AuditRecommendations
DNRC,inconjunctionwiththeBMPTechnicalWorkingGroup,shouldexpandBMPauditselection
criteriapriortothe2008BMPauditcycletoaudit/monitorabroaderspectrumoftimberharvestsites.
LegislativeAuditDivision http://leg.mt.gov/css/audit 406-444-3122
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Chapter I – Introduction
Introduction Montana’sforestsareimportantbecausetheyaretheheadwatersfor
severalmajorriverbasinsusedforirrigationandlivestock,domestic
andindustrialpurposes,andavarietyofrecreationalactivities.
Montana’s22.5millionacresofforestedlandalsocontributetoone
ofthestate’smajorindustries-timber.Forestpracticesareactivities
resultingintheharvestoftrees,roadconstructionandreconstruction
associatedwiththetreeharvest,sitepreparationfortreestand
regeneration,andmanagementofslashfromtimberharvest
operations.AportionoftheDepartmentofNaturalResourcesand
Conservation’s(DNRC)missionistoensuresustainabilityof
Montana’sforeststhroughsoundforestmanagementpractices.This
responsibilityincludesensuringforestpracticesareconductedin
waystoprotectsoil,water,andotherforestresources.Attherequest
oftheLegislativeAuditCommittee,aperformanceauditwas
conductedofDNRC’sprocesstopromoteproperforestpracticesin
Montana.
AuditObjectives Theobjectivesofourauditwereto:
1. DetermineDNRC’sroleinpromotingproperforestpracticesin
Montana.
2. EvaluatehowDNRCprovidesfortheprotectionofsoil,water
andotherforestresourcesduringforestpracticesactivities.
3. DetermineifMontana’svoluntarysystemforregulatingforest
practicesiscomparabletostateswithmoreregulatory
requirements.
AuditScopeand ThescopeofthisauditevaluatedDNRC’sroleinencouraging
Methodology properforestpracticesonStateTrustLands,federallands,private
industrialforestlands,andnon-industrialprivateforest(NIPF)lands.
Toaddressourauditobjectives,wecompletedthefollowingwork:
 Reviewedlaws,administrativerules,andforestrybest
managementpractices(BMPs).
 ReviewedHouseJointResolution(HJR)49passedbythe1987
Legislature.HJR49wasthespringboardforMontana’scurrent
forestpracticesregulatorystructure.
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