British Columbia含羞草研究社檚 forests watchdog says a complaint about 含羞草研究社渆xcessive含羞草研究社� logging has led to a call for the province to improve how it manages watersheds.

The Forest Practices Board says it looked at harvesting in the Kettle River watershed in southeastern B.C. between 2016 and 2021, finding 58 per cent of 169 large cut blocks were located in 含羞草研究社渟ub-watersheds含羞草研究社� later determined to be 含羞草研究社渁t risk.含羞草研究社�

A statement from the board says it found five of seven forest companies did not conduct watershed assessments during that period, nor did they have to.

Board chair Keith Atkinson says the reviews are vital for managing land use and hydrology, but B.C. does not require logging companies to consider watershed conditions in their plans, except in areas that supply drinking water to communities.

The board says it found the ministry had assessed harvesting in the area, identifying 含羞草研究社渟hortcomings含羞草研究社� and prompting improvements by the forest companies.

But the report says investigators found a lack of government monitoring in the watershed that spans more than 8,000 square kilometres east of Kelowna.

含羞草研究社淭he investigation found that government paid attention to licensees含羞草研究社� activities and conducted assessments of licensees含羞草研究社� activities in the watershed,含羞草研究社� it says.

含羞草研究社淗owever, (the province) neither systematically monitored their activities nor provided clear guidance on managing cumulative effects aimed at protecting the watershed含羞草研究社檚 health.含羞草研究社�

The ministry and professional associations have since developed initiatives providing information and tools to address cumulative effects, the board says.

含羞草研究社淟ooking forward, the board encourages ministry staff and licensees to use the current information and tools available to improve watershed management,含羞草研究社� Atkinson says in the statement issued Tuesday.

The report notes the investigation did not determine whether harvesting large cut blocks had negatively affected hydrology.

But it found that companies were harvesting large areas in at-risk watersheds, which may elevate the risk of hydrological impacts, the report says.

The board含羞草研究社檚 investigation began in March 2021, when the watchdog says it received a complaint from a member of the public.

The complainant was 含羞草研究社渃oncerned the scale of clear-cut harvesting in the watershed had exceeded acceptable levels, leading to changes in seasonal water flows and increasing the risk of floods,含羞草研究社� the board says in its statement issued Tuesday.

The probe also found harvesting 55 of the cut blocks focused on imitating natural disturbance patterns, which led to the logging of 含羞草研究社済reen timber,含羞草研究社� the board says.

Left standing, Atkinson says the timber can help guard against logging impacts.

含羞草研究社淭his is especially important if a watershed含羞草研究社檚 health is already at risk,含羞草研究社� he says.