Agriculture and Forestry Minister Eric Hammill said today there is a strong commitment among federal and provincial governments for the sustainable management of Canada's forest resources. Mr. Hammill is attending this week's annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers in Victoria, B.C.
"I was pleased to see the strong commitment from all ministers to address important domestic issues, particularly the need to provide incentives for private woodlot owners to implement sustainable woodlot management practices," said Mr. Hammill.
The ministers reviewed the study and recommendations of a task force they established at last year's meeting to review taxation policies and their impact on forest management of private woodlots. Mr. Hammill said the study confirms that present taxation policies raise a number of concerns. "Current federal taxation rules act as a disincentive for woodlot owners to invest in sustainable practices," he said. "The task force recommends the removal of disincentives to encourage woodlot owners to invest in sustainable forest management."
Mr. Hammill said he will be sharing the study with Prince Edward Island woodlot owners and the Forest Partnership Council.
Ministers discussed the increasing demands from abroad for Canada to certify that Canadian wood products are produced from sustainably managed forests. They agreed that governments across Canada need to work more closely together to ensure certification systems work within the Canadian context, meet international standards and are not used as trade barriers.
Mr. Hammill told ministers of the combined efforts of Prince Edward Island woodlot owners, harvest contractors, sawmillers and government to develop a certification system which is workable and practical for their province. "The first step to certification will be the implementation of the forest code of practice regulations," he said. "This will provide the foundation to build a certification system that will maintain and expand our markets."
The forest ministers agreed to a cooperative approach for the implementation of the new National Forest Strategy, which expresses international, national and regional commitments to guide the sustainable management of Canada's forests. Mr. Hammill said the strategy presents some implications for the private woodlot sector such as tax reform, value-added strategies and increased reforestation.
Also on the agenda at the meeting were international issues such as the competitiveness of the forest industry, pursuit of an international forest convention and provisions of the Kyoto Framework Convention on Climate Change as they relate to the forest sector.
During the week, Mr. Hammill also represented Prince Edward Island at meetings of wildlife and parks ministers which were held concurrently in Victoria.