The Forestry Futures Trust Committee has worked with the Ministry of Natural Resources since 1997 to deliver the annual Independent Forest Audit Program. The Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) requires that each management unit in Ontario be audited at least once every five years. The audits are conducted by independent audit firms selected through a competitive bidding process by the Forestry Futures Committee.
Purpose
The purpose of the independent forest audit is to:
document to what extent forest management planning activities comply with the Forest Management Planning Manual and the Act;
assess to what extent forest management activities comply with the Act and with the forest management plans, the manuals approved under the Act and the applicable guides;
determine the effectiveness of forest management activities in meetings the forest management objectives set out in the forest management plan, as measured in relation to the criteria established for the audit;
compare the forest management activities carried out with those that were planned;
assess the effectiveness of any action plans implemented to remedy shortcomings revealed by a previous audit;
review and assess a licensee's compliance with the terms and conditions of the forest resources license.
For more information regarding the conduct of the Independent Forest Audits refer to the MNR website at http://ontariosforests.mnr.gov.on.ca/audit.cfm
Role of the Forestry Futures Trust Committee
The Forestry Futures Trust Committee has played a prominent role in the process since 1997, primarily selecting audit firms to conduct the audits, reviewing draft final reports, funding the activities of the audits and making recommendations to the Minister of Natural Resources regarding the audit process. The Committee's mandate was greatly expanded in 2002, so that each year it will take the lead role in managing implementation of the Independent Forest Audit process. The Committee generally carries primary responsibility for applying the annual process from the point of selection of the audit firms, through to acceptance of final reports.
Statistics
Number of audit reports completed and tabled between 1997 and 2004: 85
Total expenditures from the Forestry Futures Trust to support the Independent Forest Audit program between 1997 and 2004: $7,686,780
Audit Results
The Independent Forest Audits result in the production of a Final Report produced by the contracted audit firm. This final report is shared with the forest managers, Corporate MNR, the Forestry Futures Trust Committee and the Minister of Natural Resources. The audit reports are tabled in the Legislature by the Minister. Once the reports have been tabled published copies of the reports are available to the public.
The 2005/06 final audit reports were tabled in the legislature in January 2007 and are publicly available. For more details regarding the 2005/06 IFAs please refer to the complete audit reports which are accessible via the MNR website at http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Forests/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_167046.html
