What the strategy says it will do:
- Reduction in conservation forest from 28% to 23%;
- 21% increase in wood supplied from crown lands (soft wood; mature forest stands);
- Reduce mature forest stands from 26% currently to 10% in 50 years;
- Increase silviculture plantations from 12% today to 21% in 50 years; more commercial thinning;
- Guaranteeing this 21% increased wood supply to licensees (no specifics);
- Total wood taken from crown lands up to 3.9 million cubic meters;
- Promise of 500 new jobs created, and 600 million investment by Irving in its mills (200 direct jobs);
- Increase of PNA’s to 8% of crown land (no specifics);
- Increased royalties (no specifics);
- Habitats will be “re-arranged”;
- Accessing steep slopes, rocky areas, buffers;
- Maintain only active deer yards.
“Government will begin working immediately with Licensees to develop and implement a more cost effective and transparent approach to managing our Crown lands.” (from document, March 12th, 2014)
Press release and Strategy document: Putting our Resources to Work, a Strategy for Crown Lands Forest Management
What it does:
- Reduction in conservation forest from 31% up to 2012, to 23% in 2014-2024 = 315,000 m3/year
- Reduction of Old Forest habitat from 438,000 ha to 278,000 ha (37% reduction)
- Reduction of deer wintering areas from 266,000 ha to 141,000 ha (47% reduction)
- No longer required to prevent converting Acadian Forest areas, and allowing further 10% of harvest through clearcuts = 142,000 m3/year
- Reduced requirement to leave forest patches in clearcuts by 10% = 57,000 m3/year
- Cutting more younger trees = 54,000 m3/year
- Increase clearcuts from 75 ha to 100 ha everywhere, and reduce time to clearcut in adjacent areas from 10 to 5 years = 45,000 m3/year
- Cut on steep slopes and wet areas = 26,000 m3/year
- Eliminate buffers from wetlands not currently designated as wetlands = 21,000 m3/year