A local forest company’s appeal of its license suspension and $55,000 in fines is now scheduled to be heard early in the new year.
The Forest Appeals Commission, which rules on forestry-related government decisions, yesterday set hearing dates of January 21 to 25 in Nelson for Meadow Creek Cedar.
The hearing was originally supposed to go ahead last week, but the company didn’t provide requested documents to flesh out its case.
The government successfully argued that information was critical to prepare for the hearing, so the commission ordered the company to clearly set out its objections to each of the district manager’s decisions.
That information was finally provided last week. Failure to do so would have resulted in the appeal being tossed out.
The government’s pre-hearing documents are due to be submitted by October 29.
Meadow Creek Cedar’s license was suspended in February for silviculture infractions. It was also fined $42,000. It was subsequently fined another $13,500 for a timber trespass and soil disturbance.
