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December 3, 1997
(COOPERATION Agreement)


Woodlot Owners Association has innovative pilot project

The Newfoundland Woodlot Owners Association will undertake a one-year pilot project to determine the economic viability of small- scale private woodlot management on the Avalon Peninsula. This project will employ 15 people to determine the best techniques, procedures and practices to harvest timber on private woodlots.

Today's announcement of $174,681 in support of this $492,060 initiative was made by Fred Mifflin, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and by Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal.

The Woodlot Owners Association will show property owners on the Avalon Peninsula the benefits of properly managing their woodlot holdings through demonstration and operational trials. At the end of the one-year pilot the association will complete technical and economic reports on the activity to determine the future viability and sustainability of small scale woodlot production.

"The forest resources contained on private woodlots are a valuable economic resource which we must utilize to their maximum potential," said Mr. Mifflin. "The identification and availability of a timber volume on private lands can help improve the timber supply on the Avalon Peninsula."

The association will emphasize innovative and modified harvesting and silviculture practices for small, selected cutting operations rather than the conventional clear cutting procedures. The pilot project will result in a number of operational trials to train staff in new woodlot management practices. Workers will operate in small crews of three-to-five people and will work for three periods within the one-year pilot. The procedures used to manage the private wood lots will also promote environmentally safe and sustainable management practices.

"Better management of private woodlots offers the opportunity to get more value out of our forest resources and new jobs will be created as a result of these efforts," said Mr. Tulk. "The benefits of this project will be applied across the province and will thereby help and strengthen our future economy."

Through this initiative, the Woodlot Owners Association expects to employ 15 people. This employment will be the equivalent to eight full-time positions for the life of the project. Over 4,400 cords of wood are expected to be harvested and sold as logs, pulpwood and firewood.

The Strategic Regional Diversification Agreement is a 70:30 cost-shared agreement between the federal and provincial governments. The Agreement is administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Contact:

Paul Murphy, COOPERATION Communications,(709) 772-0219, Clifford Grinling, Development and Rural Renewal, (709) 729-7066 .

1997 12 03 11:25 a.m.

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