Minister encourages participation in forest management planning process

Ed Byrne, Minister of Natural Resources, announced today that public meetings to form district planning teams to develop new five-year forest ecosystem management plans will soon start at various locations across the province.

Minister Byrne emphasized the importance of the district planning teams in providing the public with the opportunity to have input into forest management throughout the province. Through participation in the planning teams, individuals and stakeholders take part in an open, consensus-based forum that addresses a wide range of forest management issues, the minister noted.

"In addition to the demands on the resource by the forest industry, government must balance the interests of recreational users, concerns over wildlife habitat and aesthetics. The formation of district planning teams allows for issues of such vital importance to the local area to be openly discussed and debated," said Minister Byrne. "This approach is valuable as it will ultimately help ensure we maintain the health of forest ecosystems and we adhere to the principle of sustainable forest management."

Minister Byrne encouraged anyone who has an interest in the province�s forests and how they should be managed to participate in the management planning process for their local forest management district (FMD).

The FMD public planning process began in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1995. Today, five-year management plans are developed for the 18 FMDs on the island and the five FMDs in Labrador. These plans are generated every five years to allow forest managers to address current social, economic and environmental concerns, address changes in the forest landbase and implement new and improved management strategies. Before any five-year management plans are implemented, they are subject to review and approval through government�s environmental assessment process.

Provincial legislation dictates that management plans for each FMD be updated every five years. Information presented during the planning process is assessed by government and incorporated into the provincial wood supply analysis which ultimately determines the Annual Allowable Cut for the province.

Forest district planning team meetings will be held as follows:

Forest Management District 1 (Avalon Peninsula):
Location: Lavrock Center, Salmonier Line
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 25 � 7:00 p.m.

Forest Management Districts 4, 5, 6 and 8 (Covering the general area from west of Terra Nova National Park to the Bay D'espoir Highway, north to cover all of Exploits Bay and Bonavista North)
Location: Albatross Hotel in Gander
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 p.m.

The forest ecosystem planning team processes are currently underway for FMDs 9, 16 and 21. In addition, a five-year forest ecosystem management plan for FMDs 2 and 3, which was developed through the public planning process, is nearing completion and will soon be reviewed through the environmental assessment process.

Anyone interested in participating in the forest management district planning process in their area are encouraged to contact their local forestry and wildlife management office.

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications, (709) 729-5282, (709) 685-4624, carmelturpin@gov.nl.ca

2006 01 24        5:40 p.m.