Mendocino Redwood FM audit 07
Description
Certified by: Forest Management SmartWood Headquarters 2007 Annual audit 65 Millet St. Suite 201 Richmond, VT 05477 USA Tel: 802-434-5491 Report for: Fax: 802-434-3116 www.smartwood.org Contact person: Jon Jickling jjickling@ra.org Mendocino Redwood Company, LLC Audit Managed by: in United States Regional Office 101 East Fifth St. Suite 208 Northfield, MN 55057 Ukiah, California USA Tel: 507-663-1115 Fax: 507-663-7771 Contact person: Foster Dickard Email: fdickard@ra.org SW-FM/CoC-000128 Certificate code: Walter Smith, Robert Hrubes, Auditors: Gary Dodge July 31 - Aug. 1, 2007 Audit Dates: August 19, 2008 Report Finalized: Sarah Billig, Stewardship Operation Contact: ACCREDITED Director FSC-ACC-004 850 Kunzler Ranch Road, Address: © 1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C. P.O. Box 996, Ukiah, CA 95482 FM-06 April 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................3 2. AUDIT FINDINGS AND RESULTS ........................................................................................................3 2.1. AUDIT CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2. CHANGES IN THE FOREST MANAGEMENT OF THE FME ..................................... ...
Informations
| Publié par | Arza |
| Nombre de lectures | 26 |
| Langue | Slovak |
Extrait
Certified by:
SmartWood Headquarters
65 Millet St. Suite 201
Richmond, VT 05477 USA
Tel: 802-434-5491
Fax: 802-434-3116
www.smartwood.org
Contact person: Jon Jickling
jjickling@ra.org
Audit Managed by:
United States Regional Office
101 East Fifth St. Suite 208
Northfield, MN 55057
Tel: 507-663-1115
Fax: 507-663-7771
Contact person: Foster Dickard
Email: fdickard@ra.org
ACCREDITED
FSC-ACC-004
© 1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C.
FM-06 April 2007
Forest Management
2007 Annual audit
Report for:
Mendocino Redwood
Company, LLC
in
Ukiah, California USA
Certificate code:
SW-FM/CoC-000128
Auditors:
Walter Smith, Robert Hrubes,
Gary Dodge
Audit Dates:
July 31 - Aug. 1, 2007
Report Finalized:
August 19, 2008
Operation Contact:
Sarah Billig, Stewardship
Director
Address:
850 Kunzler Ranch Road,
P.O. Box 996, Ukiah, CA
95482
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 2 of 24
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................3
2.
AUDIT FINDINGS AND RESULTS ........................................................................................................3
2.1.
A
UDIT CONCLUSION
...................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2.
C
HANGES IN THE FOREST MANAGEMENT OF THE
FME
............................................................................... 3
2.3.
S
TAKEHOLDER ISSUES
................................................................................................................................. 3
2.4.
C
ONFORMANCE WITH APPLICABLE CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUESTS
.......................................................... 4
2.5.
N
EW CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ISSUED AS A RESULT OF THIS AUDIT
............................................................... 4
2.6.
A
UDIT OBSERVATIONS
.................................................................................................................................. 6
3.
AUDIT PROCESS ..................................................................................................................................7
3.1.
A
UDITORS AND QUALIFICATIONS
:
................................................................................................................. 7
3.2.
A
UDIT SCHEDULE
.......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.
S
AMPLING METHODOLOGY
:
.......................................................................................................................... 8
3.4.
S
TAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION PROCESS
.................................................................................................... 8
3.5.
C
HANGES TO
C
ERTIFICATION
S
TANDARDS
.................................................................................................. 8
APPENDIX I: List of visited sites (confidential) ............................................................................................10
APPENDIX II: List of stakeholders consulted (confidential).........................................................................11
APPENDIX III: Forest management standard conformance (confidential) ..................................................12
APPENDIX IV: Chain of Custody Conformance (confidential).....................................................................20
APPENDIX V: FSC Annual Audit Reporting Form: ......................................................................................21
APPENDIX VI: SmartWood Database Update Form ...................................................................................24
Standard Conversions
1 mbf = 5.1 m
3
1 cord = 2.55 m
3
1 gallon (US) = 3.78541 liters
1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 foot = 0.3048 m
1 yard = 0.9144 m
1 mile = 1.60934 km
1 acre = 0.405 hectares
1 pound = 0.4536 kg
1 US ton = 907.185 kg
1 UK ton = 1016.047 kg
1. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this report is to document annual audit conformance of Mendocino Redwood
Company, LLC (MRC), hereafter referred to as Forest Management Enterprise (FME). The
report presents the findings of SmartWood auditors who have evaluated company systems and
performance against FSC forest management standards and policies. Section 2 of this report
provides the audit conclusions and any necessary follow-up actions by the company through
corrective action requests.
SmartWood audit reports include information which will become public information. Sections 1-3
will be posted on SmartWood’s website according to FSC requirements. All appendices will
remain confidential.
Dispute resolution: If SmartWood clients encounter organizations or individuals having concerns
or comments about Rainforest Alliance / SmartWood and our services, these parties are strongly
encouraged to contact SmartWood regional or Headquarters offices directly (see contact
information on report cover). Formal complaints or concerns should be sent in writing.
2. AUDIT FINDINGS AND RESULTS
2.1.
Audit conclusion
Based on Company’s conformance with FSC and SmartWood requirements, the audit
team makes the following recommendation:
Certification requirements met, certificate maintenance recommended
Upon acceptance of CAR(s) issued below
Certification requirements not met:
Conformance with Major CAR(s) required
Additional comments
:
Issues identified as
controversial or hard to
evaluate.
2.2.
Changes in the forest management of the FME
There have been no changes in the forest management since the last audit. The company is,
however, updating their California State Law required “Option A”. The Option A is a sustained
yield plan and harvest permit document. The document will be submitted to the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for approval this fall. There are no plans to
significantly alter forest management practices. The total area has not changed but the acres
have been recalculated and revised to 228,775 acres.
The company’s GIS Director resigned earlier this year. See Observation 04/07.
2.3.
Stakeholder issues
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
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The majority of the stakeholders interviewed believe that MRC is practicing quality forest
management and forest stewardship. They cite the number of restoration projects MRC
implements each year (which includes culvert replacement, stream habitat restoration, road
decommissioning, improvement of habitat through silviculture), the extremely low forest
practice regulation infractions, excellent cooperation with the regulatory agencies and the
consistent harvest levels.
There are stakeholders who believe that MRC could still significantly improve their forest
management practices, particularly by reducing the use of herbicides. There was also concern
about MRC reducing the width of the current WLPZs (Water and Lake Protection Zones) after
they get their Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Natural Communities Conservation Plan
(NCCP) approved. It is not clear whether the stakeholders understand that the WLPZs
currently in effect on MRC’s lands are negotiated interim protection measures to be used until
the HCP and NCCP are approved. Long-term WLPZ protection measures that will become part
of the plans are being proposed to the agencies approving the plans.
A number of stakeholders also mentioned that they believed that MRC was very proactive in
reaching out to the community about forest management or related issues. If there are
community concerns that arise they are willing to discuss the concerns and make changes to
forest management activities if necessary. They also said that MRC has an open door policy to
anyone, including those outside the community.
Additionally, stakeholders were appreciative that MRC has also provided educational tours of
their forestlands and allowed university student to observe and participate in the discussion of
controversial forest management issues.
2.4.
Conformance with applicable corrective action requests
The section below describes the activities of the certificate holder to address each applicable
corrective action issued during previous evaluations. For each CAR a finding is presented along
with a description of its current status using the following categories. Failure to meet CARs will
result in non-conformances being upgraded from minor to major status with conformance required
within 3 months with risk of suspension or termination of the SmartWood certificate if Major CARs
are not met. The following classification is used to indicate the status of the CAR:
CAR Status
Categories
Explanation
Closed
Certified operation has successfully met the
CAR and addressed the underlying
nonconformance.
Open
Certified operation has not met the CAR;
underlying nonconformance is still present.
CAR becomes a Major CAR with a 3 month
deadline for conformance
There were no open CARs resulting from previous audits.
2.5.
New corrective actions issued as a result of this audit
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 5 of 24
CAR 01/07
Reference to Standard: 4.2.a
Non-conformance
Major
Minor X
The auditors observed several safety issues: first aid kits were not on
the job site, the loader operator did not put on a hardhat when he got out
of the loader to speak with us, and another crew member was standing
in a position between the loader and yarder where he was vulnerable to
being hit by logs lifted from the yarder drop point to the log deck.
Corrective Action Request:
MRC shall require that contractors meet OSHA requirements
and maintain safe work practices. MRC shall include of the review and evaluation of safety
practices on the part of contract loggers and their employees during supervisory inspections of
the job sites.
Timeline for conformance:
Prior to next annual audit
Evidence to close CAR:
Pending
CAR Status:
OPEN
Follow-up Actions (if app.):
CAR 02/07
Reference to Standard: 6.1.c
Nonconformance
Major
Minor X
Staff research information and reports on forest environmental
conditions (e.g. terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, soils, and hydrology) are
not adequately incorporated into forest management activities. For
example, MRC has developed a protocol for the development of timber
harvest plans that incorporates results from field research; however, it
appears that the protocol is not being implemented.
Corrective Action Request:
MRC shall provide training or guidance to foresters regarding
the use of environmental research and reports generated by other MRC staff while planning
forest management activities.
Timeline for conformance:
Prior to the next annual audit
Evidence to close CAR:
Pending
CAR Status:
OPEN
CAR 03/07
Reference to Standard: 6.5.g and 6.5.p.
Nonconformance
Major
Minor X
During the field visit the auditors observed two sites where unforeseen
damage to the environment occurred (both sites were brought to the
attention of the auditors by MRC staff). One was a relatively significant
landslide and the other was inadvertent brush clearing and site
preparation by the logger within the SMZ. At the time of the audit it did
not appear that there was sufficient company guidance provided to the
MRC staff for addressing and/or mitigating these kind of unforeseen
developments (e.g. natural and management disturbances) in a timely
fashion.
Corrective Action Request:
MRC shall develop and implement procedures and guidance for
responding to unanticipated developments that compromise management goals and
compliance with FSC standards.
Timeline for conformance:
Prior to the next annual audit
Evidence to close CAR:
Pending
CAR Status:
OPEN
Follow-up Actions (if app.):
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 6 of 24
2.6.
Audit observations
Observations
are
very minor problems or the early stages of a problem which does not of itself
constitute a non-conformance, but which the auditor considers may lead to a future non-
conformance if not addressed by the client. An observation may be a warning signal on a
particular issue that, if not addressed, could turn into a CAR in the future (or a pre-condition or
condition during a 5 year re-assessment).
OBS 01/07
Reference Standard: 1.5.a. and 4.2.a.
MRC has recognized an increase in illegal activities on the property, particularly marijuana
cultivation on a relatively large scale that has resulted in an increased threat to employees.
MRC has stated they have a clearly written and articulated policy and have initiated
collaboration with authorities. This is an escalating threat to worker safety that merits an active
approach by management and more thorough communication with employees.
Observation
: MRC should provide information, guidance, and training for employees and
contractors addressing the escalating nature of the marijuana cultivation problem and on how
to safely deal with potential encounters with illegal activities on MRC lands.
OBS 02/07
Reference Standard: 1.6.a, 7.3, 4.1.a.
MRC has implemented a
Six Sigma
training program for employees generally focused on
increased productivity and business efficiency. There are opportunities for MRC to utilize the
training program to a greater extent to increase land stewardship and community benefit from
the forest operations.
Observation
: MRC should explore utilization of the
Six Sigma
training program in alignment
with FSC Principles and Criteria and forest stewardship, and should ensure that increased
focus on productivity and efficiency does not come at the expense of stewardship.
OBS 03/07
Reference Standard: 1.6.a, 7.3
MRC field employees demonstrated an incomplete understanding of forest stewardship and
understanding of FSC goals and intent resulting in occasional management activities that were
not aligned with goals of FSC-certified forest management.
Observation
: MRC, as a company that has demonstrated a long-term commitment to FSC
Principles and Criteria, should explore training of new and continuing employees in the goals
of FSC certification, how they relate to current forest management, and implications for on-the-
ground activities.
OBS 04/07
Reference Standard: 6.1.a
The current staff of environmental researchers is:
1) incomplete without a GIS director, resulting in the reduction of important activities
addressing biological research and utilization of the research; and
2) limited to addressing the compliance with state and federal regulations resulting in less
than robust attention to non-listed species and general stewardship.
Observation
: MRC should hire a GIS director with the capacity to fully direct and make better
use of the information gathering and scientific operations in MRC, including studies of
ecological processes, common and rare species and communities, water, and soil resources.
MRC should investigate and implement ways to enable staff researchers to gather and apply
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 7 of 24
research on a broader array of environmental factors (e.g. plant communities) that will result in
a more complete understanding of the landscape and management effects.
3. AUDIT PROCESS
3.1.
Auditors and qualifications:
Walter Smith, SW Senior Technical Specialist. Walter has 17 experience in logging, training
and forest resource management and 17 years experience in Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) forest management and chain of custody certification. He pioneered an FSC type
certification system with the Institute for Sustainable Forestry before the establishment of the
FSC in 1990. Walter became a founding delegate of the FSC and was on the original FSC
Principles and Criteria Working Group. He was also a member of the FSC Pacific Coast
Working Group and is considered a senior authority on certification. Walter has been a team
leader on over 250-forest management and chain of custody pre-assessments, assessments,
and audits for the Rainforest Alliance SmartWood Program in Canada, China, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and all regions of the
United States. He is a principal instructor for the SmartWood Assessor Training Program and
has participated in over 30 training workshops in North America and Asia. He has ISO 14001
lead auditor training and is the co-author of a book on certification with ecologist Chris Maser.
Robert Hrubes, Ph.D., RPF, Forest Management and Economics - Robert is Senior Vice-
President of Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). He is a California State Registered
Professional Forester (RPF) and forest economist with 26 years of professional experience in
both public and private forest management issues. He is the team leader for SCS’
reassessment of MRC. He served as team leader for SCS for the initial MRC Forest
certification evaluation in 2000. Before becoming Senior Vice-President of SCS, Robert
worked in collaboration with SCS to develop the programmatic protocol that guide all their
Forest Conservation Program evaluations. Robert has led numerous SCS Forest Conservation
Program evaluations of North American (U.S. and Canada) industrial forest ownerships, as
well as operations in Scandinavia, Chile, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
He also has professional work experiences in Brazil, Germany, Guam (U.S.), Hawaii (U.S.),
and Malaysia. Robert is a founding member of the FSC and served on the first elected board
of directors. He is a member of the FSC’s Pacific Coast Working Group. He has a Ph.D. in
Wildland Resource Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Gary Dodge, Ph.D., SmartWood consulting biologist and ecologist. Gary is a founder and
member of Trailhead Associates Consulting Group. He has approximately twenty years of
professional experience as a biologist. For the past three years, he has been working as a
consultant on projects addressing forest certification. Gary has worked closely with FSC, most
recently in developing a role for FSC in carbon markets and bioenergy. Gary participated in
development of the environmental components (HCVF and Conversion) of the new Controlled
Wood standard and development of the FSC Controlled Wood Risk Registry. He recently
directed a review of the nine FSC-US regional standards. Gary’s holds an M.S. in Sustainable
Development and Conservation Biology and a Ph.D. in Plant Ecology from the University of
Maryland.
3.2.
Audit schedule
Date
Location /Main sites
Principal Activities
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 8 of 24
8/31/07
MRC headquarters in
Ukiah
Review agenda; meet with MRC management;
presentation on MRC Option A; discussion of finances.
8/31/07
Greenwood Creek
Site inspections and Interviews with foresters and
MRC staff scientists.
8/31/07
South Navarro West
Site inspections and interviews with foresters and
MRC staff scientists.
8/31/07
Dinner meeting in
Fort Bragg
Meeting with area foresters and staff scientist.
9/1/07
Breakfast meeting in
Fort Bragg
Interview with timberland manager.
9/1/07
North Navarro West
Interview with staff regarding management strategies.
9/1/07
Hedge Farm (tree
nursery)
Interview with Reforestation Forester .
9/1/07
North Navarro East
Site inspection of replanting activities.
9/1/07
Ukiah District
Interview with Area Forester and site visit for recent
management activities.
9/1/07
MRC headquarters in
Ukiah
Closing meeting.
Total number of person days used for the audit:6
= number of auditors participating
3
times total number of days spent for the audit
2
3.3.
Sampling methodology:
Field sites were chosen to represent current and active management activities and interviews
with pertinent MRC staff. Sites included multiple silviculture protocols including Alternative
Transition, Restoration Variable Retention, and Alternative Selection. Also, sites involving
reforestation efforts were included. Finally, a site chosen to meet with a biologist and address
owl habitat was included.
Interviews with staff were conducted at formal meetings, during meals, at sites, and in vehicles
between sites. Auditors separated and interviewed different staff between sites. The director of
stewardship and the chief forester were with the audit team at all times.
3.4.
Stakeholder consultation process
Stakeholder type
(i.e. NGO, government, local
inhabitant etc.)
Stakeholders notified
(#)
Stakeholders consulted
or
providing input (#)
NGO
3
1
Regulatory Agency
2
2
University Extension
2
2
Neighbor
1
1
Industry
1
1
3.5.
Changes to Certification Standards
Forest stewardship
standard used in audit:
FSC Revised Final Pacific Coast Standard (version 9.0)
SmartWood Forest Management Annual Audit Report
Page 9 of 24
Revisions to the standard
since the last audit:
No changes to standard.
Standard was changed
(detail changes below
)
Changes in standard:
Implications for FME:
Not applicable - no new requirements
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