INFORMATION BULLETIN
For Immediate Release 2008FOR0162-001831 Dec. 2, 2008	Ministry of Forests and Range
MINISTER APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS TO FOREST PRACTICES BOARD

VICTORIA – Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell has announced the appointments of Andrea Lyall of Squamish, Michael Nash of Prince George and David Patterson of North Vancouver to the Forest Practices Board for a term of two years.

 

The new appointees replace David Mannix, Mark Haddock and Dr. Geoff Battersby, whose terms have expired. Other members of the eight-person board are Dr. Bruce Fraser, Guenter Stahl, John Dunford, Dr. Rachel F. Holt and Debbie Zandbelt.

 

Lyall, of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation on Gilford Island, is the first First Nations woman to receive the designation of registered professional forester in British Columbia. She is currently employed as a Stewardship Forester with the Ministry of Forests and Range in the Squamish Forest District. She has worked for Canfor, Western Forest Products, the Nisga’a Lisms Government, Dzunukwa Resource Management in New Aiyansh, the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay, Washington and Coast Forest Management Ltd. in Port Alberni. Much of her work has been concentrated on field practice with First Nations forestry enterprises.

 

Nash is a well-known writer, naturalist and public volunteer with extensive experience in forestry and wildland conservation and recreation matters in northern British Columbia. He was employed by Canfor for 20 years in both information and human resource services and has served as a lay councilor for the Association of BC Forest Professionals.

 

Patterson, currently a forestry consultant, worked for Weldwood of Canada for 24 years in both Williams Lake and Vancouver. His experience with Weldwood included preparing the company for full ISO and CSA sustainable forest management certification. Lately he has been engaged with the policy and training aspects of the transition from the Forest Practices Code to the Forest and Range Practices Act as well as preparing the industrial contributions to the development of the Wildfire Act.

 

Established in 1995, the Forest Practices Board is an independent, government-funded body that promotes forest stewardship by auditing forest practices of government and licence-holders on public lands, auditing government enforcement of the Forest and Range Practices Act and investigating public complaints.

 

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Media contact:	Jennifer McLarty Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592	Helen Davies Communications Manager Forest Practices Board 250 356-1586
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