NEW BRUNSWICK REPORT: Monitoring for Value and Compliance
by Gaston Damecour, RPF

Monitoring of publicly funded silviculture meets public accountability requirements and the intended silviculture results. Some time ago, AGFOR conducted a review of silviculture monitoring practices on private lands in three provinces. The practices ranged from visiting every treatment site - because public funds were involved - to a results and process-based monitoring using a limited sample (in the 10-20% range). AGFOR used a risk-analysis approach to compare the results. AGFOR found that a limited sample, combined with a comprehensive review of the entire process from prescription to execution, proved to be more cost-effective and yielded better compliance and silviculture results. In addition, it provided valuable feedback on the process. 

Here’s what pre- and post-treatment monitoring on crown lands looks like under New Brunswick’s new $19 million silviculture program.

Objectives 1) Value of the province’s investment as measured against a set of standards; 2) Reliance on licensee reporting; 
3) Cost-effective deployment of departmental resources.

Process - At one time, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources examined every treatment area. Today this practice has been replaced with a 10% random sampling by treatment type within batches of silviculture work submitted by the licensee at the pre- and post-treatment stages. In this manner, the process extends from the prescription to the completed treatment, which is consistent with AGFOR’s earlier findings on private lands. Each batch can represent about 25% of a licensee’s annual program, so that results are distributed over the entire silviculture season to ensure that the quality of the program is consistent throughout the season, and that the department and the licensee get prompt feedback.

Pre-treatment monitoring - Once the silviculture treatment blocks have been submitted in batches by the licensee to the department, they are considered to be engaged in the process and may be selected as part of the random pre-treatment sample. Monitoring occurs after submission of a proposed site for treatment before the actual work begins. In the case of planting, this is done before site preparation. Pre-treatment monitors a licensee’s pre-assessment with respect to a treatment’s appropriateness and is part of the overall sampling, contributing to the end-of-season reconciliation. There is, therefore, significant financial incentive at play as the selection of the appropriate prescription is just as important as a competent execution.

Post-treatment monitoring - The completed sites/blocks, by treatment type within a batch are randomly selected and verified in their entirety for area and against predetermined standards. The sample results are rated against the claims made by the licensee for those sites/blocks. 

The licensees’ invoices for completed treatments are processed promptly with no questions asked. The results of the entire season’s pre- and post-treatment samples for each treatment type are compiled for reconciliation against the submitted invoices. Any difference greater than 2% over the season’s samples for a treatment type is cause for reconciliation and is pro-rated over the entire season’s silviculture program, for that type, on a crown license. Most reconciliations are less than 10% and can be either positive or negative. Pro-rating the combined sample results over the entire program creates an important financial incentive. 

The results are later followed up with five and ten-year post assessments to ensure that treatments meet intended targets - this is outside the post-treatment monitoring. Once the initial silviculture program has been completed and reconciled, it is up to the licensee to produce the intended result, be it stocking levels or free-to-grow status. We should see stronger integration of harvest planning and silviculture in the future. 

Gaston Damecour, RPF, NB & NS, is the principal of AGFOR Inc, a forestry business consulting firm based in Fredericton. He can be reached at 506-462-0333 or gdamecour@agfor.nb.ca.