Forest Management Planning Content or Process o:\data\presentation\dw_dl - Forest Management Planning

Why am I an expert? 10 years as an area forester in the field. 5 Timber management plans (TMP) Manual writing team for the current FMPM Wrote 1 FMP, supervised 10 including 4 currently in production. I haven’t seen the field for more than a day or two in 10 years

A Decade Ago Little or no public involvement. Limited technology. Inventories were commercial tree cover focused. Harvest was labour intensive and equipment unsophisticated. Silviculture was the responsibility of government. Little or no documentation of success or failure. Foresters cared and spend most of their time in the field.

Today Intense public involvement Advanced technology Inventories are forest ecology based Advanced science Mechanized operations Silviculture done and paid for by industry Extensive documentation Foresters care but are in the office

The Forest Management Environment Legislation Government Policy Public Opinion Business Principles Mill Technology Forest Biology and Ecology

Policy We operate on public land using a resource belonging to the public of Ontario. The MNR represents the interests of that public. From time to time they set policy and objectives for the management and use of that resource. “The Ontario Living Legacy” is the most resent.

Legislation Crown Forest Sustainability Act - CFSA Class Environmental Assessment - EA Forest Management Planning Manual Silviculture Manual Forest Information Manual Scaling Manual Other Acts Other acts include Navigable Waters Act Fisheries Act Endangered Species Act Labor and health and safety Forest Fire prevention act o:\data\presentation\dw_dl - Forest Management Planning

Obligations Under an SFL Forest resource inventory. Forest management plans. Annual operating reports. Five-year “State of the Forest” report. Regenerated to agreed standards. Independent forest management audits. License extended for an additional five years based on meeting standards.

What’s In a Plan? Get Organized Guidelines (marten, fisheries, moose, caribou) Inventories Values (trapping, remote tourism, mining) Direction from other sources (MNR, Bowater) Native Background Report

What’s In a Plan? Get Some Help Planning Team Local Citizens’ Committee Invitation to Participate Plan Advisors Anyone else who comes by Whether you want it or not. And It won’t be enough.

What’s In a Plan? Set some rules and direction Terms of Reference Direction Report of Past Operations Independent Audits

What’s In a Plan? Objectives and Strategies Are the basis for the rest of the planning effort. Must address at a minimum: Forest Diversity Provision for values dependent on forest cover. Provision of socio-economic needs and benefits Forest renewal and silviculture Strategies identify how these objectives will be delivered. Targets are required for all objectives.

What’s In a Plan? Alternatives and Models Various alternatives are developed. Each is modeled. The outputs are evaluated against objective targets. A preferred alternative is selected. All harvest and silviculture activity levels are driven by this alternative.

Now the Work Begins For the next 27 - 36 months your life will revolve around the plan An FMP is structured around two things: A public consultation schedule A written text, accompanying documentation and maps

Public Consultation Plan your holidays around this.

Text and Documentation You will need 90, 3” binders and 500 lbs Text and Documentation You will need 90, 3” binders and 500 lbs. of paper. Text and tables Maps - 50 different types and over 1000 total Areas of Concern documents - at least 1000 Roads documents - more than 100 $ 1,000,000

Content The part of the plan that will actually show up on the ground after the plan is implemented. The silviculture strategy Landscape pattern development. Wildlife habitat Balance between economics and environment

Content Time will be short at all points and the default will be the process. The plan will be a compromise. Only the foresters on the team can ensure good content. Someone will have to implement the plan and comply with it. Practical in a plan is not always practical on the ground

Comments you will hear It doesn’t matter we will be redoing this again in five years. We can live with this for now. We will use the precautionary principle based on the information this is as good as we can do. The model says…...

So why do we do this? To set objectives, strategies and targets that will allow us to provide a variety of social, economic and ecological benefits from the forest. To model to demonstrate that in theory we can do it. To identify criteria and indicators which we can measure. To provide documentation To put forward operating plans to deliver the benefits. To modify practices to accommodate and improve

Why else? The process allows us to document and defend what we do. We can prove that we are doing what we said we would do. The content will ensure that a healthy forest is always available for whatever future generations decide to do with them.

This Creates . . . Jobs - 15,300 direct, 34,400 indirect Wages - $930,000,000 Taxes - $520,000,000 Economic benefit - $1.7 billion Recreation opportunities Wildlife habitat Young forests