A northern forestry company has been fined more than $18,000 after pleading guilty to charges under the forest resources management act.
Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp has been fined $8,000 for failing to screen its harvesting activities visually from a nearby lake.
The company was also handed a $5,000 fine for harvesting too close to a lake and a 40-percent surcharge has been tacked on to both fines.
Prince Albert-area forester Chris Brown says there are specific guidelines in place that apply to these types of situations.
“Cowan Lake where this instance happened is deemed a visually sensitive lake and for visually sensitive areas the companies have to declare in their operating plan what their visual quality objective is, in other words, what they plan to do to maintain the visual sensitivity of the area,” he says.
Brown says complaints about Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp’s harvesting practices were brought up by a number of people at a public meeting in Big River in March 2012.
He says the province depends on input from the public in situations like this.
“Any item that is forest related that they think might be an issue, by all means we rely on the public to assist us with that type of thing. You can either call the 1-800 tips line or you can call any of the nearest forest services offices or any of the local compliance and field services offices.”
Brown says in this case the logging company had also harvested right up to the edge of Pankoski Lake, causing damage to the shoreline area.