Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry Jamie Ballem tabled the Public Forest Council’s report “Woodlands Hold Our Island Together,” in the Legislature today. This report is the culmination of extensive consultations over the winter months and will help to determine government’s role in the management and conservation of public and private land forests across Prince Edward Island.
“The efforts and dedication of the Public Forest Council are reflected in this forward-looking document,” stated Minister Ballem. “They held 14 public and stakeholder meetings, and spent many evenings and weekends analyzing the comments and concerns offered by the 500 people who attended the meetings and the 90 formal papers and presentations which were submitted to the Council. I believe this report captures the depth of feeling Islanders have for our public and private forests, and the range of ideas and strategies they brought forward for Council and Government to consider.”
The report responds to the 2004 Forest Policy Discussion Paper by offering background information on some 13 subjects such as Restoring the Acadian Forest, Reconciling Economics and Aesthetics, Recognizing Non-timber Values, and Managing Public Forests. Council then prepared 20 recommendations to address these subject areas in a manner which recognizes a wide range of social, economic, and environmental concerns.
Public Forest Council Chair, Dr. Ian MacQuarrie, noted that many people felt current government policies did not adequately support those who employed good forest stewardship.
“Most people recognize that tree planting provides many benefits for our Island, but if those trees are planted and tended only to produce fibre, then maybe society should look at getting a broader range of returns for this investment,” noted Dr. MacQuarrie. “As well, we felt that a revised taxation system could be used as a tool to encourage more forest stewardship and that the number of species produced at the provincial tree nursery be increased to help alleviate the impacts of climate change.”
Council recognized that only 12 per cent of the Island forest is in public hands and urged government to protect this forest from sale or non-forest development. They also recommended that the public forest management philosophy change to reflect a broader range of forest management treatments and end goals.
“People see public forests as their forest and want to know that this resource will remain in public hands to be used for many different purposes by future generations,” stated Dr. MacQuarrie. “They also recognize that over the years public forests have helped to demonstrate a wide range of forest practices, and feel this role should be strengthened even further.”
Council also felt that government should pay more attention to forest education for landowners, school children and others, and promote the development and use of more non-timber forest products.
Minister Ballem thanked the hundreds of Islanders who took time to attend the meetings and offer their ideas and concerns.
“Government programming and services must strike a balance of environmental, societal and economic concerns which reflect the needs of the forest and the people who own and depend upon them,” indicated Minister Ballem. “We will examine how these recommendations can be implemented, what the potential implications are, and how landowners and the public will respond to the required changes. With the Council’s report as our guide, we will create a new Forest Policy which captures the vision and needs of Islanders from all walks of life.”
The Public Forest Council’s report is available by calling (902) 368-6450 or visiting the Council’s web site www.gov.pe.ca/go/PFCpolicyreport