The little-known agency tasked with overseeing B.C.’s forestry industry is urging the provincial government to update regulations and consider compensating logging companies to help minimize wildfire risk near communities. In a special investigation titled, “Help or Hinder? Aligning Forestry Practices with Wildfire Risk Reduction,” the Forest Practices Board found that “outdated standards, poor implementation, and regulatory gaps” are impacting companies’ ability to help reduce wildfire risk near “interface” zones near homes. “It affects everybody in B.C., this kind of risk that we have,” explained board chair Keith Atkinson, in a one-on-one interview with CTV News. Of particular focus is a catch-22 identified in the two-year analysis: Many logging companies are doing a good job of gathering branches and other wood waste in piles for burning, which eliminates wildfire fuel near communities. However, they’re only allowed to burn that debris – the most cost-effective way of eliminating i...