THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR WEST CHILCOTIN FOREST PRODUCTS LTD. The history of ISO 14001 Certification at West Chilcotin Forest Products / Yun Ka Whu'ten begins with a perceived need on the part of our customers. Beginning in 1998, it became apparent through various market contacts that the public was becoming increasingly concerned with the origin and process associated with wood and wood products. These concerns manifested themselves in several ways, most directly relevant to our venture was the repeated inquiry from our main customers with respect to our intentions for product and process certification. These inquiries were consistent with the world-wide trend toward environmental awareness and protection. In 1999, the partners in West Chilcotin Forest Products made the decision to pursue certification of the Joint Venture. It was deemed to be important to the partners and our customers, but also to our community. In addition, certification was seen to be a vehicle by which the partnership would achieve common ground in the philosophy each entity brought to the Joint Venture. Early in 2000, the research began to identify that certification scheme that would be best suited to our Joint Venture. After reviewing the elements and criteria of several well-known standards, ISO 14001 was chosen, and it was decided that certification would initially be focused on the woodlands operation, as that facet of the Joint Venture was deemed to have the most direct and profound potential for environmental impact. Choosing the registrar for the standard involved a similar research process, and Quality Management Institute was chosen for this purpose. The process of drafting up the documents and procedures required to meet the standard began in earnest in November of 2000. This process was a joint effort between WCFP and YKW staff, with the assistance of a consultant knowledgeable in several certification schemes. Document review was conducted in April of 2001, and a pre-audit was conducted in July of 2001. The summer of 2001 saw a flurry of activity with respect to preparing the Joint Venture, the employees and contractors for the registration audit in September of that year. A successful registration audit resulted in Registration in November 2001. A subsequent surveillance audit in September 2002 illustrated the continued effort on the part of the Joint Venture, employees and contractors to improve environmental performance. Both the registration audit and the surveillance audit have highlighted an impressive knowledge level on the part of employees and contractors in the context of the standard and environmental awareness. The spring and early summer of 2003 have seen dramatic changes to the program to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and ease of implementation. This is consistent with our goal of continual improvement. West Chilcotin Forest Products / Yun Ka Whu'ten are confident in their ability to meet and exceed the environmental expectations of their customers and community. The scope of the Environmental Management System is restricted to those operations that are conducted by either YKW or WCFP on the landscape in an operational sense. This includes all harvesting, road building, and post harvest activities including FIA based activities. The EMS does not pertain to activities in the mill yard, the milling facilities, or any private or Timber Sales activities. Activities that are governed by third parties, such as WHMIS and WCB, that have a potential impact on the environment, are also deemed to be within the scope of the EMS.