Ontario's Forest Tenure Modernization Act's creation of two new governance models for sustainable forest licenses: Local Forest Management Corporations (LFMC) and Enhanced Shareholder SFLs. What are the implications of these for community-based forest management?
Will Ontario’s New Tenure System Support Community-Based Forest Management?
An unprecedented infestation of grasshoppers ravages a black spruce plantation in Labrador.
Thank goodness for digital cameras. Otherwise, what was I to believe when I received a call from Corey Wight, all the way up in the wilds of Labrador, when he told me that his black spruce seedlings were being eaten by grasshoppers just as quickly as they were being planted. Yes, that’s right, grasshoppers! Or, to put it in biblical terms, “a plague of locusts”.
A look at the recent work and involvement of the FNFC with regard to MPB management, Forests for Tomorrow, Timber Tenure Management and creating employment and advancing First Nations participation in the forestry sector.
When the Mountain pine Beetle epidemic was identified by the land and resource managers of BC the ability for the forest sector to respond and mitigate impacts was a call to action that has played a significant role in the transformation of the forest sector in BC. First Nations leaders engaged with the province and the federal government to ensure their communities were contributing to mitigation efforts and together the forest sector embarked on comprehensive MPB Programs including the Forests For Tomorrow project.
A Story of Fire and Fir
On the island of Newfoundland, prescribed burning has been
employed as a silvicultural tool for more than half a century, long
before we started operational-scale planting or pre-commercial
thinning. Back in the 1960’s, and earlier, the Anglo-Newfoundland
Development Company out of Grand Falls-Windsor routinely burned
their cutovers to encourage natural black spruce regeneration. In
recent decades we’ve used it very successfully to prepare sites for
planting, particularly in western Newfoundland. Here, as elsewhere,
“PB” does a great job of reducing slash loading, reducing the
humus layer somewhat, and making the planting job that much
easier. However, the primary purpose of prescribed burning in
Newfoundland these days is the removal of natural balsam fir
regeneration.
Leaving a Legacy:
Quality Improvement Silviculture in Nova Scotia
The Association for Sustainable Forestry (ASF) is in its tenth year of
administering silviculture and extension activities for small private
woodlot owners in Nova Scotia. With funding made available
through the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, 552 ha
of pre-commercial thinning, 50 ha of commercial thinning, 688 ha
of selection management, 143 ha of crop tree pruning and 35 ha
of crop tree release have been completed during 2010.
Temporary water crossing bridge
design challenge
The PEI Model Forest Network and the
Department of Environment, Energy
and Forestry, in cooperation with the
University of Prince Edward Island, have
just completed a temporary water crossing
research project. Conducted by second
and third year engineering students as
part of their design course, the project
examined several different bridge design
options and developed recommendations
to provide private woodlot owners with the
information required to build cost-effective
and efficient reusable temporary crossings
for small streams on their properties.
The disclosure of the North Plan
A plan of development for Northern Quebec
On May 9, 2010, accompanied by their colleagues, Quebec
Premier Jean Charest and Deputy Premier Nathalie Normandeau,
Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife and Minister responsible
for the North Plan, disclosed the awaited North Plan.
Dévoilement du Plan Nord
Un plan de développement pour le Nord québécois
Le 9 mai dernier, M. Jean Charest, premier ministre du Québec,
en compagnie de madame Nathalie Normandeau, vice-première
ministre, ministre des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune et ministre
responsable du Plan Nord, ainsi que d’autres de leurs collègues,
dévoilait le tant attendu Plan Nord.
Yukon Introduces New Forest Resource Legislation
On January 31, 2011, the Government of Yukon introduced new
legislation to guide forest management in Yukon. The Forest Resources
Act is the first home-grown resource legislation to be prepared in
Yukon since the devolution of federal powers to the territory in 2003.
WSCA and Ministry Review BC Planting Inspection System
The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources has
begun a review of its thirty-year-old planting inspection system after
WSCA contractors questioned whether the standard reflected current
practices across the industry. Contractors have alleged that there
are in fact two standards in place: one used by industry and one
by government. Furthermore, they say, the requirements described
as required under the old standard may not always reflect the
best science and experience on the ground regarding establishing
vigorous plantations.