Indicator 3.2 - Rate of compliance with locally applicable road construction, stream crossing, and riparian zone management standards
core indicator


Harvesting operations, particularly road and bridge construction, may disturb soils or increase the sediment load in streams, thus altering aquatic habitat. Sound culvert and bridge construction is particularly important because of its potential to cause significant environmental impacts, such as soil erosion and interference with fish migration and spawning. Appropriate road construction techniques can minimize these impacts. Sensible riparian zone management is also very important to protect aquatic habitat from sedimentation and other potentially negative impacts stemming from harvesting too close to watercourses, lakes, and other waterscapes.

Most jurisdictions have established standards to prevent negative impacts of forestry activities on aquatic habitats. Provincial and territorial agencies monitor compliance with these standards and, in some cases, certifying agencies also ensure forestry operations meet preestablished standards.

This indicator assesses and tracks the rate of compliance of current practices with locally applicable standards for road construction, stream crossing, and riparian zone management. The indicator will continue to be useful as long as it relies on periodically updated standards, on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge, and monitors the application of these standards.

For the purposes of this indicator, the rate of compliance refers to the number of compliant observations relative to the total number of observations. Standards refer to any applicable guidelines in the context of a regulatory regime or best practices. The number of assessments is considered when interpreting data. Low percentages indicate that practices may have serious impacts on the aquatic environment, while higher percentages indicate that impacts are being minimized.

The goal for this indicator is to attain a high rate of compliance that can be expected to increase as forest harvesting practices evolve with improved knowledge and management guidelines. Where self-monitoring and reporting is used, this information is reported to the landowner who verifies incidents of noncompliance and determines appropriate remedies or enforcement actions. Assessments are usually based on an evaluation of risk in the area in the context of social, environmental, and economic values. Therefore, in some jurisdictions, assessments are concentrated on a greater proportion of high-risk and medium-risk sites. In most jurisdictions, assessments are carried out on both crown and private lands, either randomly or in response to public requests.

Rates of compliance vary from 60% to more than 99% among provinces and territories. Although these are high rates of compliance, the wide range reflects varying standards and the variability in numbers of assessments. Only six jurisdictions provided information on rates of compliance, but most jurisdictions carry out assessments indicating that a significant portion of harvested areas are inspected or surveyed annually.

Eventually, the development of a common approach to monitoring road, stream crossing, and riparian area management will enable jurisdictions to estimate the national noncompliance rate.