‘Ecological considerations are at the forefront’
Province promises to downscale clearcutting
The province has promised a reduction in forestry clearcutting on Crown land but the extent of the downscale is far from clearcut.
“You’ll see an immediate reduction in clearcutting by following the publicly proposed interim retention guideline but even when clearcutting is the appropriate prescription ... you will see augmented retention,” Iain Rankin, provincial Lands and Forestry minister, said at a news conference Dec. 3 to announce his department’s response to an independent review of forestry practices submitted by Prof. William Lahey in August.
“We haven’t analyzed it, we don’t know exactly how many stands are out there that are even-aged or multi-aged but if they are more of a multi-aged, you will see a vast reduction in clearcutting. I can’t give you a number. I know Lahey had provided a number and we are interested to see how he got to that number. It is about putting the science and ecological concerns first before you arrive at a number.”
Lahey, president of University of Kings College, had recommended an estimated clearcutting reduction from 65 per cent of all harvesting on Crown land to between 20 and 25 per cent.
“It requires full analysis,” Rankin said. “There are a number of recommendations, the forest management guide being the most important ones. We know that that will take some time, which is why we believed it was important to put some practices in place that will immediately reduce the amount of clearcutting and actually improve the retention quality of the stands.”
Rankin said “ecological considerations are at the forefront” of the government’s response and increasing ecological protection and biodiversity in the forests will lead to a more sustainable forestry sector.
Rankin said government will implement the triad model of ecological forestry recommended by Lahey, which includes conservation areas, high-production forest areas and a combination of the two that blends conservation and forestry objectives.
The minister said his department will begin a process of identifying appropriate areas for high-production forestry on Crown land. The province will allow regulated use of herbicides in areas identified for high-production use, but the herbicide spraying funded.
Rankin said the management guide, which will dictate what type of forestry practices will be permitted on different Crown land stands, is expected to be completed in 12 months and will include input from external advisers and stakeholders.
Only 30 per cent of the province’s woodlots are Crown owned and the government has said there will be no clearcutting mandates imposed on privately owned lots. Rankin said private woodlot owners have already accepted many of Lahey’s recommendations.
The Lahey report included 168 conclusions and 45 recommendations. Deputy minister Julie Towers said Lands and Forestry had endorsed about two-thirds of Lahey’s recommendations. will not be publicly