Over a half million tree seedlings are being planted in the Lewisporte area as part of the 2008 silviculture program.

In total, $213,000 is being spent on three silviculture initiatives in the area that will see 227 hectares of land planted, 75 hectares thinned to promote healthy tree growth and another 300 hectares prepared for planting next summer.

"Silviculture is important to our province�s reforestation efforts," said the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency. "Our tree planting activities contribute to forest regeneration and the health of our forest ecosystems, while ensuring a future wood supply."

The tree planting project is valued at $79,700 and will employ 20 people for four weeks. The tree seedlings consist primarily of black spruce with lesser amounts of white spruce, Norway spruce, white pine, red pine and eastern larch and will be planted on five sites in the Lewisporte-Exploits area. These locations include Brinks Pond, Bellman�s Pond, Rogers Cover, Second Pond and Duder Lake. All seedlings are grown at the Provincial Tree Nursery in Wooddale.

"It�s great to see the continued support of silviculture initiatives like this one in our area," said Wade Verge, MHA for Lewisporte. "The forest industry is very important to the economy in my district. Many people depend upon this industry for their livelihood and projects such as these ensure a continued supply of resources for future generations."

The site preparation project involves preparing 300 hectares of land in the Lewisporte area for future planting in the summer of 2009. This work is valued at $74,400 and will facilitate planting and promote healthy forest growth at 11 sites, including Ten Mile Lake, Bellman�s Pond, Seal Bay Brook, Indian Arm Brook, Brinks Pond, Chapel Pond, Mill Pond, Duder Lake, Southwest Pond, Island Pond and Long Pond.

The pre-commercial thinning project involves the thinning of 75 hectares at eight silviculture sites in the Lewisporte area, and leaving 2,500 healthy and well-spaced trees per hectare to grow and enhance the future wood supply. This project is valued at $58,900 and employs six people for eight weeks. Site locations include Wings Point, Chapel Island, The Reach, Little Martin Lake, Charles Brook, Muddy Hole Brook, Four Mile Lake and Shoal Point.

The Provincial Government has increased its investment in silviculture by $1 million this year, for a total budget of $10.4 million in support of silviculture activities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Budget 2008 also contains $14 million in new funding to support diversification initiatives for the forest sector to provide for stability and create growth in the industry.

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