An audit has found that British Columbia's government did not have a clear method for calculating the carbon being stored or released in provincial forests, which undermined the credibility in reporting from the Forests Ministry.
The Office of the Auditor General of B.C. says in the report that defined methodologies to calculate forest carbon projections were not used for decisions such as the determining annual allowable timber cutting.
The audit found that staff did develop a model to calculate carbon benefits from certain investment programs in forestry, but the system was not approved for use by B.C.'s chief forester, and overall calculations were not "sufficiently documented to ensure consistency."
It says the Forest Ministry used those carbon benefit projections in briefing notes and press releases, to set targets for future forest investments and to compare with goals set by the ministry in its annual reports.
Acting Auditor General Sheila Dodds says in a statement that a clear, defined method for calculating carbon benefits "is essential to the quality of the measurements and builds confidence in the projections."
Dodds says the B.C. Forests Ministry has accepted the audit recommendations, and guidance for calculating consistent carbon projections for its forest planning was finalized at the end of 2024.
"Because the projected carbon benefit of the Forest Investment Program is not calculated using a defined methodology, the ministry’s assertions of its performance can’t be reviewed or replicated to assess their quality," the audit says. "This lack of transparency negatively affects the credibility of the ministry’s reporting.
"While the ministry produced guidance to support carbon analysis for timber supply reviews, key elements needed to ensure consistency and transparency were missing."
Dodds says the information on carbon storage and release from the forests is crucial for making forest-management decisions.
"A defined methodology for carbon modelling that outlines what's measured — and how those measurements are done — is critical to ensuring forest carbon projections can be reviewed and replicated," Dodds says.
