Region Archives: Canada East

Lacey Rose

I am one of more than 230,000 Canadians making a living in the forest sector. I will admit, as a self-proclaimed tree-hugger growing up in a mining town in Labrador, this is not a path I saw for myself. Now, after more than 10 years as a Registered Professional Forester, I have learned a lot, including some things I would love to share with Canadians about how their forests are managed. I say “their forests” because over 90 per cent of Canada’s managed forest area is on public land. Trees grow back. We are legally and professionally required to ensure that managed forests successfully regenerate. …People who work in the woods care a lot about forests. …A managed forest is a healthy forest. We must realize that with human presence comes alteration of ecosystem processes. We put out fires to protect human values.

An environmental non-profit is trying an alternative tactic to prevent old-growth logging in the wider area around the the Fairy Creek watershed, near Port Renfrew. The Canadian Orca Rescue Society is launching a fundraiser this week in an attempt to crowdfund enough money to match the revenue that logging old-growth would provide to the Teal-Jones Group, the Pacheedaht First Nation and the provincial government. “…  if there’s more money in leaving the trees standing, they’ll probably leave the trees standing,” said Eric Pittman, director of the Canadian Orca Rescue Society. Pittman said they don’t know how much money they’ll have to raise, but he estimates it at more than $10 million. The group has reached out … to ask how much they would need to protect a little under 3,000 hectares in the Fairy Creek area.

Parks Canada has decided that Gros Morne National Park won’t join an early intervention spraying program to control spruce budworm. “Spruce budworm is a native forest insect, and episodic outbreaks are a natural ecosystem process that leads to forest diversification and renewal but can also affect the forestry industry and domestic wood harvesters,” the park said. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador had asked Gros Morne to join an Early Intervention Strategy control program. It wanted to spray about 22 per cent of Gros Morne — 400 of its 1,805 square kilometres. Parks Canada determined that intervening “could impact the ecological integrity of its forest ecosystem” and said the “scientific review also found there is limited evidence to suggest that including Gros Morne in the program would be necessary.”

John Yakabuski

The Ontario Government will put money towards training people to go into the forestry industry. The government is committing $5 million into training people at Flemming College in Haliburton and Algonquin College in Renfrew County. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) John Yakabuski says it is part of the SkillsAdvance Ontario project through the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. The money will go towards connecting employers with the colleges to see where they need workers most, and then train workers in those areas to help fill the needs of employers. For the forestry industry, training will be provided for a variety of skills like mill and manufacturing operations, field skills, and heavy equipment training. …Yakabuski stressed that forestry jobs paid well, and wanted to bring more people to the industry. …While Yakabuski says the forestry industry is sustainable, no industry can be if it doesn’t have a workforce.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration launches on June 5 — World Environment Day — to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation across the globe. Leading that charge at home is Forests Ontario, a not-for-profit charity focused on tree planting and forest education. …By rooting the right tree in the right place, Forests Ontario’s national tree-planting efforts ensure that the seedlings planted today grow into the thriving, diverse forests of tomorrow. With support from the government, corporate sponsors and individual donors, the organization has facilitated the planting of more than 34 million trees coast to coast. …“Forests Ontario feels extremely privileged to be working in partnership with the UN,” says Rob Keen of Forests Ontario, “…I welcome all Canadians to be a part of #GenerationRestoration by joining Forests Ontario in our mission to make our forests greener.”

We hear a lot of talk lately about the loss of forests on Prince Edward Island and what to do about it. Tree planting will never be a substitute for forest conservation, but done wisely, it has a critical role to play in improving the diversity, value, and resiliency of our forests. The province has an incredible opportunity to not only increase forest cover but also create a legacy of healthy forests. Unfortunately, this will not happen if we just go back to putting in thousands of acres of conifer plantations. …There is a much better way to plant millions of trees without further degrading Island forests. The solution is to plant a mix of native tree species on the tens of thousands of acres of degraded woodland in the province.

TORONTO – World Environment Day will mark the launch of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Not-for-profit charity Forests Ontario has been accepted as an official Restoration Implementation partner, one of only a handful of such partners in North America. Led by the UN’s Environment Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Decade commits to the protection, conservation, and revitalization of ecosystems worldwide. As a Restoration Implementation partner, Forests Ontario will strengthen restoration capacities and lead restoration efforts through its 50 Million Tree Program, Grassland Stewardship Initiative, Over-the-Counter tree sales program, and Forest Recovery Canada division. To date, Forests Ontario has facilitated the planting of more than 34 million trees across Canada.

Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) has announced the successful transition of its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) Maritime certification to the new FSC national standard for responsible forest management in Canada. The new national standard was developed to replace the four regional standards in Canada, which is considered more comprehensive and rigorous than the previous regional standards. …The Crown lands licensed to PHP under the Forest Utilization License Agreement with the province of Nova Scotia have been certified to the FSC Maritime Standard for Best Forestry Practices since 2008. The transition to the new national standard for Canada will not interrupt PHP’s commitment and maintenance of its FSC certification for responsible forest management. The national standard certification process is ongoing, and various sections of the standard will be audited annually within the transition period allowed by FSC Canada.

Twenty-three students in Algonquin College’s Forestry Technician Program recently planted 30,000 trees in Algonquin Park and the Nipissing Forest. The trees are a living memorial, each planted in memory of someone who recently passed away. The project was sponsored by the Ontario Woodlot Association, the Canadian Institute of Forestry, Friends of the Petawawa Research Forest, Nipissing Forest Management Inc. and the Algonquin Forestry Authority. The trees included white pine, red pine and white spruce seedlings. As a thank you to the students, a $5,000 donation was made to Algonquin College in support of the Forestry Technician program.

Gypsy moth caterpillars are feasting on the leaves of trees in Hamilton, but city staff say they won’t be coming forward with recommendations on how to deal with the problem until 2022. Sam Scarlett, city manager of forestry and horticulture, said  that Hamilton is only doing ground-spraying for the invasive species in select locations this year, as well as burlap banding some trees. The city also doesn’t target private property. “This is really detrimental,” said Ward 11 councillor Brenda Johnson, noting that Glanbrook has been inundated with the pests. “It’s becoming almost epidemic.” Johnson said people are getting rashes from the amount of caterpillars dropping from the trees in their backyards. …An aerial application over woodlots requires permits from the Ministry of Transportation, Scarlett said, which take several months. He said people should report high infestations this year to the city, as staff collect data over the fall and winter.

Ontario has entered into collaborative research agreements with McMaster University and the University of Toronto to help promote healthy, resilient and sustainable forests while supporting the forest industry. A collaborative project with McMaster University will study the effects of a changing climate on forest growth, and a collaborative project with the University of Toronto will research the effect of the eastern spruce budworm in Ontario’s boreal forests. …”The research will not only further our understanding of environmental pressures on Ontario’s forests by harnessing leading technology, but also ensure Ontario’s forests remain healthy today and for future generations,” said John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. …A collaborative research agreement with Hamilton’s McMaster University, valued at $45,000 over three years …and A collaborative research agreement with the University of Toronto, valued at $56,000 over three years,

Toronto – Forests Ontario is pleased to recognize University of Toronto Schools (Team C) as the reigning champion of the 2021 Ontario Envirothon, a unique environmentally-themed academic competition. Beating out 95 other high school students on 19 teams, the new Ontario Envirothon Champions won a cash prize of $250 per team member in recognition of their outstanding environmental knowledge and participation. Second place team Lakefield College School and third place University of Toronto Schools (Team B) were awarded $200and $150 per student, respectively. All prizes were generously provided by charitable foundation Maple Leaves Forever. …The Ontario Envirothon is designed to immerse students in hands-on learning and discovery. “Envirothon offers the next generation of environmental leaders a chance to explore education and career paths in the natural sciences,” explains Rob Keen, Registered Professional Forests and CEO of Forests Ontario.

Toronto…is about to get a whole lot greener. Rouge National Urban Park, the largest urban park in North America …is getting 26,000 new trees this spring. The planting of these trees come as part of a wetland and riparian restoration project with Forests Ontario, Parks Canada, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority  – and will be the first of many. There are plans for two billion more across Canada over the next decade with the 2 Billion Trees program that was announced back in 2019… Forests Ontario is also planting an eight-kilometre-long windbreak along a section of the park’s trail network through their 50 Million Tree Program, which is aiming to bring another 2.8 million trees to the province. …Most of the new trees are being hand planted, including 16,000 white cedars, while 5,000 seedlings will be put in the ground mechanically. Other trees will include white pine and white spruce.

An estimated cumulative total of 34 million trees will have been planted across the province when this year’s season wraps up in a few weeks. And local efforts since 2008 across SDG have been a strong contributor to the Ontario goals. Those close to the program on May 12 confirmed some of the impressive numbers, including 70,000 trees currently being planted across SDG through Forests Ontario’s long-term and ongoing 50 Million Tree Program. The estimated total number of trees being planted in Ontario is 2.8 million – and it’s a time-sensitive effort. …Across eastern Ontario, at least, it’s been a very favourable tree planting season, which got underway in late April and will continue into June.

Derek Nighbor

The Forest Products Association of Canada says they have had a solid working relationship with both levels of senior government over the years. President and CEO Derek Nighbor says they would like to strengthen that partnership this year by addressing one key barrier. “Increasingly we’re seeing the federal government trying to get into regulatory duplication around water, and around conservation, and around carbon. So we’re really pleading with the federal government. Let’s work together with the provinces.” Nighbor adds, “It’s tough dealing with duplication, additional costs and uncertainty. But in a tough economy like this one, we really got to get the regulatory environment right. So let’s get away from the duplicate of stuff that’s adding uncertainty and costs onto business.” Nighbor says right now forest companies operating in northwestern Ontario primarily work on provincial lands and deal with the Ontario government on consultations and approvals. [END]