FINCH - Spurred by concern over increasing deforestation in the area, South Nation Conservation has launched a new program to help private landowners preserve and manage their woodlots.
Fueling the new "Woodlot Advisory Service" is a $100,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation officially received at SNC headquarters in the presence of visiting Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey last Friday.
Also on hand for the occasion were representatives from primary partners in the endeavour: the Raisin River Conservation Authority, and two area associations of private woodlot owners - the SD&G Certified Forest Owners and its French-language counterpart, Boisés Est.
The grant provides funding for two years’ of program operation in the coverage areas of the Raisin and South Nation watershed authorities - practically everything east of Kemptville, up to the Quebec border. New SNC woodlot advisory technician Rose-Marie Chrétien will head the program for both authorities.
SNC forester Steve Hunter, who applied for the funding on behalf of the partnering groups, noted that Eastern Ontario’s total forest cover has recently fallen to 27 per cent, shy of the 30 per cent threshold promoted by Environment Canada as "the minimum required for environmental function."
The ongoing decline became evident in the 1990s, he said, reversing a trend of forest recovery over the previous several decades, which in turn had followed massive deforestation after European settlement.
At their low point in the early 1900s, forests occupied less than 10 per cent of the land in Dundas County, he pointed out, warning of the consequences.
"There were issues with flooding. There were issues with wildlife habitat. There were issues with climate change, locally," Hunter said, displaying newspaper coverage of a 1936 drought.
SNC general manager Dennis O’Grady told The Record that the new Advisory Service basically replaces a defunct MNR program that assisted landowners with woodlot management until about 20 years ago.
Now a one-off initiative limited to this part of the province, the intent is to educate farmers and landowners, not to stop them from cutting bushlots to make way for more corn fields, according to O’Grady.
"We feel a lot of that [cutting] is because they don’t understand the value of the forest. If you’re a corn farmer, you know what the price of corn is today, but do you know what the price of a red pine log is? What’s that oak log worth to somebody that’s producting shittake mushrooms?"
He also pointed to the opportunities for woodlot owners to exploit even lower volume items for artisanal purposes, mentioning types of branches used in First Nations’ basket weaving and hardwood bols turned into decorative pieces. Participants will also be apprised of recreational opportunities and potential property-tax savings of 75 per cent by managing their woodlots.
Added O’Grady, "But if your choice is best off with corn, so be it."
The new program will not promote a tree-cutting bylaw and will not serve as a precursor to such. "Oh, god, no," replied the general manager, when asked the question. "I believe that’s not the way to go. If you can’t convince somebodyof the value of their woodlot, putting a bylaw in place is not going to stop them. We’re just there to educate, so they can make an informed decision."
Asked for her opinion on tree-cutting bylaws, Minister Jeffrey said they "don’t actually work so well" because violaters tend to "beg for forgiveness instead of permission." The McGuinty government cabinet ministeer added, "It’s about education because I think most landowners want to be good stewards."
Directly commenting from podium about the program at hand, Jeffrey lauded the watershed authorities for their "impressive work to promote sustainable management of forests on private land," connecting it to their efforts on several other environmental files.
"I really appreciate the important work you do ... conservation, conserving natural areas and the species that inhabit them," remarked the McGuinty government cabinet minister. "Your leadership in the Clean Water initiatives have helped to develop community projects that have helped the rivers and streams of the South Nation Rivers system, and the St. Lawrence River," said Jeffrey, adding she was also aware of SNC efforts to "protect species at risk like the spotted turtle, the American eel and lake sturgeon."
She also placed the accomplishments of watershed authorities ahead of all others in the provincial hierarchy, declaring, "Nothing we achieve as a government is as important as the work we achieve with you, and we can’t do it alone. We rely on partners like you."
Getting advice through the Woodlot Advisory Service Technician begins with a site visit from Rose-Marie Chrétien, who will evalutate the forest on the subject property. An approximate fee of $20 applies. Free forestry workshops for landowners are being planned throughout the year as well.
Chrétien said she hopes the program will be extended beyond the allotted two years.
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