Day 13
Edmundston
December 22, 2003 

Four Best Management Ltd, Adam Deschênes, Sylvain Caron, Éric Caron, Edmundston, Experts - Forestry Consultants.
M. Deschênes introduced their presentation about the availability of labour, and strategies to manage 'stocking' or replanting taking into consideration the distribution of plants.  If we go toward the doubling the area of plantations, we have to look at the availability of labour in the future. To double plantations, according to our study,  our spending in silviculture would need to exceed 50$ million,  rather than the 25$ presently being spent.  
Where will we find labour to do this with an aging population and an exodus of youth for bigger centres?  

Recommendations: 
-  increase taxes allocated for silviculture and adjust the length of season (as it is seasonal employment) to keep youth here.
-  looks towards immigration to develop economically (to do silviculture)
-  invest much more $ in training 
-  recognition of trainers and training institute
-  establishment of a fund for training
-  reimburse associations who hire certified personnel

Sylvain Caron - Strategies for efficient management of distribution in replanting.
What is stocking? …The proportion of parcels which contain at least one stock for regeneration with regard to number of inventoried parcels
1. Inventory of regeneration on given parcel of land
Objective: to see if findings show that 'stocking' is of weak quality. Recommendations: in line with results  
2.  Inventory 5 years after the planting. 
Objective: Verify whether there are problems with the stocking  
Recommendation: Stocking should be done in as short a period as possible after harvest  
3. Éric Caron. Objectives of Stocking:
-  determine the density of plants
-  increase the stocking where it is weak
-  replant with stronger plants during the pre-commercial thinning.
4:  Inventory after 10 years
-   Application of a pre-commercial cut between paths

Conclusion:
-   Invest in labour
-   Maximize the 'stocking' of young growth
-   Assure efficiency of our forests!

Mr. Landry, MLA, asked about availability of labour - Mr. Caron responds that it is very costly to buy the protective clothing and equipment and travel (up to 3 hours per day), too many expenses which means the job about 8$ an hour, once all costs are taken into account, and the work being seasonal, people stay about 3 years, then leave, not well enough paid. There are almost all Mexicans working in Maine in silviculture. Mr. Landry commented that in effect, it is the working conditions, then, not the unavailability of labour.  What if Mexicans come to do this job? They make camps, they stay 10 months and do seasonal work going from job to job.

Clément Arpin, Marie-Christine Arpin, André Arpin, Kedgwick
Ms. Arpin began by drawing attention to the creation of jobs - per thousand cube meters of wood, the pulp industry does not enhance the creation of jobs - there is not quite one full job in the pulp industry compared to the 25 jobs per thousand cubic feet created in the value-added industry!

Cutting in buffer zones and deer yards- will not improve the environment, it will be disastrous for the quality of the environment and for our quality of life.
What we want is to be the boss, the masters, of our own lands - maitre chez nous au N-B - we must organize and manage our forests for future generations and for increased employment.

M. Clément Arpin is the smallest licensee in NB with the highest rate of employment. 
With the years, they have become experts in value-added business. Governments make 'gifts' to the pulp industry which in turn makes huge demands to increase their control over the Crown lands. 
Recommendations:
- The government should implement value-added policies which aim for job creation. 
- Government should not allow industry to run the Crown Lands. 
- Train our youth to learn to add value and transform our raw material to add value to it.

M. Arpin often works with youth who have dropped out, trains them himself. They become self-sufficient, skilled workers with good pay. 
If we invest in the value-added sector, we would have no trouble replacing the jobs lost in the pulp sector - and they would be paid better (his people are paid 23-28$ an hour, they are worth it) - they have 20 people and have place for 150 people but none are coming from school. Some are being trained in industry where they work in a sawmill with practically no value-added in them, just straight sawing. The pulp sector has become a monster , uncontrollable, jobs are poorly paid. If we don't get investing in value-added and skilled labour, we are going to close this province rather than invest in the future. 
Education at the NBCC in Campbellton does not meet with the needs of their business - they have programs to work in a sawmill, but this sector is not higher value-added. The more we do with wood, the higher the value-added.  

Example uses of value-added wood

M. Arpin just wants to bring up the point of the graph - the pulp industry which creates the least number of jobs has the most control over the Crown Lands - we are following a Finnish model, yes, they've doubled production but they have created fewer jobs. Our resources are leaving because of a war among the world's big paper companies- if we don't turn this trend around, we might as well move elsewhere. Are we going to live in the shadow of these big companies or are we going to take our future in hand, the Arpins asked. Our studies show that we can live much more comfortably by investing in the value-added industry around the forest. People can make a living, have dignity and pride in themselves when they look around and see what they are doing and what they have made. 
Ecotourism is threatened in the same way by clearcutting, right to the river. Just going to the river, people have to travel through and by clear cuts. Then one has to do environmental education to explain that NB could and  should be using better practices with regard to forestry. 
Furniture making, fence making - seeing that one wood is not being used, adapted to using different wood (poplar and cedar) - door frames, window frames - these are all possible uses of value-added wood - and it is an industry that is flexible and innovative. There is no future underwriting the pulp industry in their world wide war.

Frank Johnston, Grand Falls, intends to raise some questions about the Jaakko-Poyry which is an extraordinary document and proposal of public policy, containing no references and therefore not verifiable. Many assertions do not support other assertions within the document.
For example, the report states that NB has highly complex regulatory environment. In fact, compared to Ontario the study shows it has a higher level of regulation whereas the  Finns have less stringent regulations.
A statement about the level of protection of the forest in NB is also not supported by the graph in the document. The Finns, which have a similar level of protection recently stated that their level of support of protection is inadequate, Mr. Johnston noted.  

Climate change has not been considered by J-P report nor does the report take into consideration the environmental services of the standing forest. What would be some of the consequences of implementing some of the policies recommended in this report? For example, cutting in the  river and stream side buffer zones to provide wood supply in the short term.
Forests and forest canopy provide protection against flooding. Basic research, available to the general public, states that any reduction in forest covering will lead to greater runoff. Mr. Johnston's casual interest in digital elevation maps lead him to create models - using government of Canada's effects of climate change and their projections, from the Atlas of Canada. Peat lands in the lower Saint John River Valley, for example, will be expected to be moderately affected. Another projection due to climate change is forest fires severity level, suggesting there will be a slight elevation in mid-central NB. Later in this century, higher levels of forest fires are predicted.

River systems will be greatly susceptible to climate change. Here, Mr. Johnston showed a photo of unseasonable freshet in water levels in late November 2003 in Grand Falls. Three gates of the dam are open today, Dec.22. Climate change effects on the Saint John River Valley- showing a series of maps with the modeling of water levels. Mr. Johnston looked at water elevations from 1 meter to 25 meters. Hydroelectric dams in SJ River Valley were built with a freeboard of 10 feet - at 3.3 meters, we begin to see some significant flooding. You can see on the map models, there will be significant flooding.  If the suggestions of the J-P report were to to be implemented, a thorough analysis should be instituted to examine the scenarios. A high level of supervision and monetary incentives exist in Finland to follow best practices. In Finland, when the supervision level were relaxed due to budgetary constraint, they were reinstated when it more environmental degradation became obvious. 
Mr. Johnston wished them all the best and good decisions in the best interest of all on the Crown Lands.

Town of St. Quentin, Village of Kedgwick, Mayor David Moreau, Mayor Jean-Paul Savoie respectively.
M. Moreau began with a profile of St. Quentin, a town of 4000, with an elevation of more than 1000 feet, in the centre of a picturesque plateau in the northern end of the Appalachians. Forestry is our biggest employer - groupe Savoie North American Forest Products Ltd. have over 600 employees, which in turn have a big economic spin-off and they make great contributions to the community.

They suggest creating a vision of the future: Define what they want to see in the future and then work to realize it - must include all sectors of development of the forest. We should develop a co-management structure where industry and all other users sit together, where an equitable use of hardwood and softwood be implemented and where all other users can have access to the forest!
Management by industry exclusively is unacceptable. M. Moreau requested that the government radically change the law governing access to the Crown lands. The Town of St. Quentin therefore recommends:

• Considering that the government of NB gave management of our public forest over to 10 multinationals, creating essentially a monopoly by an elite, which is unacceptable;

• Considering that the management of our forests has an economic impact and social affect on our towns and villages;

• Considering that by their letter of demand to radically change the Law (Crowns and Forests Act), the multinationals are implicitly admitting failure;

• Considering that the primary wood supply for the sub-licensees is rapidly diminishing in quality and quantity;

• Considering that the sub-licensees are mostly locally-owned and a principal source of employment;

• Considering that the licensees are not from the province (sic) and change hands regularly and that these (and other considerations) can make for an unstable economic situation,

Be it resolved that the town of St. Quentin insist that the Crown lands be co-managed by industry and all other stakeholders (recreation, ecotourism, value-added industry, hunting and fishing, firewood groups and others) while respecting the allocations already in place.

J-P Savoie, Mayor of Kedgwick, reminded the committee that the recommendations of the Association of Francophone Municipalities, representing 42 French municipalities were similar to these two requests: that the Crown Lands be co-managed by all stakeholders.

M. Savoie gave a brief profile of Kedgwick - a Mik'maq name meaning the meeting of two rivers. M. Savoie insisted that the committee put into place a new structure, a changing of structure to include all sectors which are not represented to establish, which does not take away from community forestry, a co-management structure, a place to define their own future- community forestry, management plan - which invites more people to the table. He requested an amendment to the Crown Lands and Forest Act which  redefines the structuring to co-management. Presently, people are very upset, for example, when they cannot go get firewood on Crown land, and another example, a local school and a church were refused permission to obtain one tree - refused by Natural Resources - there is something very wrong with that. When asked about hiring foreign workers, M. Savoie responded that establishing better criteria and standards to improve working conditions for the workers, rather that hiring from elsewhere, is what we should do, as was done in Québec.

They already have lots of value-added business in their area for hardwoods - it is in the softwood area that value must be added, M. Savoie stated.  
They are simply saying change the structure - all users should be at the table - and we will have a revolution in this province.

Why are people looking at community forestry, he was asked? Community forestry - people don't have any choice - either we live with the present monopoly or we have some control over their lives. He cited the example of Coalition Stillwater with 3000  hectares - they are having a hard time and Kedgwick is not interested in community forestry. Right now, the licensees and the government decide where every piece of wood is going and when, to the sub-licensees - we say, get them to the table and give them equal power. The federal government is disengaging complete from their responsibility with regard to the forests of NB. In response to a question of fewer rangers, to protect the rivers. Mr. Savoie responded by saying we had 16 people (rangers) and the Liberals removed them to have 1 person, this government has not restored them, to protect rivers and forests - so, no, we do not have the level of protection which we should have.  

Adrien Charette, a lover of nature, the forest and the environment, professional trapper and certified instructor of trapping, member of the Advisory Committee of Rivère Verte and Upper Madawaska of Nexfor Fraser Papers and member of the Wildlife Federation of  NB. Mr. Charette has also been a member of the Premier's Round table on Environment and Economy (1990) and was Secretary of the Dept. of Natural Resources advisory committee on trapping.

Mr. Charette has a great fear about the consequences of the way our forest are being treated and the manner in which they will be exploited in the future. In the mid 80s, many of us predicted the disappearance of the White-Tailed Deer in northern NB. Impossible said our provincial biologists. 
In 1993, Northern NB lost the privilege of hunting the White-Tailed Deer and after 10 years and there is still no hunting.  Clearcutting, coyotes, poaching, rigorous winter, hunting, loss of deer wintering yards, herbicides were all given as reasons for the reduction of the deer. The deer have always lived with most of those conditions.

Herbicides: Monsanto came to tell you that Vision, an herbicide, was in fact, damaging to the moose - well, bingo - this is why the deer population has declined - this is what is killing the deer - herbicides kill hardwoods, fewer hardwoods -  the food source for deer. This is why the deer is practically gone. Herbicides are what are used on plantations, so deer cannot live in plantations.

Clearcutting
Why not use more sophisticated techniques like partial cutting which promotes regeneration, reduces costs of planting and helps nature along. Often clearcutting is not the first phase of operations: a selection is done, trees are cut, trees which should remain standing, followed by a selective cut which turns into a clear cut which turns into a plantation. He stated that better supervision would eliminate this problem. Why not create plantations for deer, for the animals?

Buffer zones
Forestry companies say that thousand and thousands of hectares of forest are protected. Not too long ago, during the 50s, 60s and 70s,  these companies completely ignored the presence of streams, cutting over them as if they didn't exist. Clearcutting to the buffer zone, a tiny strip of 30 meters, considerably reduced the habitat of deer. Clearcutting completely around deer wintering yards along with successive applications of herbicides destroys the deer population - if we took off your roof, would you still be able to live? We take away all the mature trees. Never give away more rights to exploit buffer zones and deer yards.

Plantations
Plantations - not managed, have been abandoned- they have not produced the amount of fibre they were supposed to produce - if managed properly, they might produce better amounts of fibre. These are plantations on Crown Lands, 20 years old. Plantations are no good for animals - one study shows that plantations have a loss of mature habitat, therefore no animals. Québec has  made a plan to rectify the deer habitat - we are still doing 95% clearcutting. We must redress this. Forest rangers are practically inexistent - any which are there are making forest management plans. Few are employed to actually do guard work, less enforcement. There are few convictions for poaching - we should have double or triple the number of officers to do enforcement. Within the advisory committee, we have discussed the disappearance of the deer and the use of herbicides - all companies should be obliged to have advisory committees and listen to their suggestions. There is a huge difference in the way things are done in Québec and things have improved - we should have similar committees in place everywhere in NB.

Rino Leclerc - has worked in forestry using various machinery for 20 years and has in the last 4 years been involved in a maple sugar operation on Crown Lands. The number of maple sugar operations on Crown Lands has increased considerably in the last 15 years. 80% of maple syrup production is in northern NB. ACOA's figures for 2001 show annual sale for that year for the total industry were $11.34  million.

M. Leclerc is very concerned with forestry practices of clearcutting and using herbicides near and beside maple sugar operations, causing blow downs and damaging equipment. Spraying of herbicides   prevents operators from  being certified organic, which in turn means a reduction of 8% per pound for the revenue of their product. 2000 hectares were reserved by the government at the beginning of 2003 for maple syrup production, however, these lands are also being used by the forestry industry.
He stated that government should not permit access to maple woods by the forestry industry. This is a whole area where new markets can be developed, and niche markets exist for the special combination of  silver and red maples. Mixed forests and deciduous forests should remain a priority as they are. Mixed forests are also a barrier to forest fires and to the spruce budworm.  

Anne Knudsen, Victoria county, is a co-owner of 300 acres of woodlot, an educator and environmentalist. She stated that a debate about the wood supply is long overdue in this province. However, an overall in-depth debate about the whole Crown Lands use and its place in the livelihood of NB  is the next discussion which should take place.

She has major concerns with three recommendations of the J-P report:

1)  big business dictating to our government to change the Act in order to gain further control

2)  that our government helps pay for a part of this study, why did not industry pay for this themselves?

3)  that NB hired a Finnish company rather than using a local company for Eastern Canada

The 3 recommendations from the J-P report: more intense growing of fir and spruce in order to double the volume of wood cut on Crown Land, guaranteed wood supply form government and guaranteed compensation if this supply is not met are totally irresponsible. These recommendations would totally changing the landscape around us. Everything would be off balance. NB forests are diverse and some diversity has been lost already. Everything - water, animals, trees all rely on the presence of the forests. Can we afford to disturb this balance in a time of climate change? 

How could our government guarantee a wood supply - it is not in the power of this government to legally bind our forest resources when a settlement with First Nations has not even been reached!
It is a falacy to believe that the presence of big business will benefit us all. The boom and bust cycle is a part of the nature of big business. They are not going to take care of us. The role of government is crucial. The government has a responsibility to govern for the long term benefit of the people rather than the short term gain of the companies. We have to recognize that what has been done to the Crown Lands is not sustainable. There are NO rules, only guidelines for environmental violations on Crown Land and not enough personnel to deal with infractions and complaints on Crown Land. This mismanagement of Crown Lands does not give confidence to handing over more control of our lands- we have to stop following the same old model. It has not been responsible to leave the management to industry.

Recommendations:
-  totally reject  the J-P report
-  have an open and public debate on the use of Crown Land, how to best care for this publicly owned land base
-  do a study of diverse models of how to manage community lands
-  study to explore diverse livelihoods of the forest benefiting local economy
-  study of how to increase value and overall forest health and apply these - identify and respect deer yards and buffer zones
-  study of alternatives to satisfy our p&p needs, including other wood fibres, recycling and other sources of materials
-  include  First Nations in these debates and studies

Chris Allen, woodlot owner and concerned citizen - appreciates the extension to the Public Hearings, former member of the Carleton-Victoria Wood Producers Association and served for 6 years on executive of the NB Federation of Woodlot Owners. He is very concerned about the J-P report. 20 years ago, DNR gave talks about the sustainability of the Crown Lands and Forest Act and the annual allowable cut. Great debates about whether this was sustainable, concerns being the uneven distribution of wood quotas and that effect on future income. The point here was that we had to come face to face with a new reality and learn to deal with it, as it was wreaking havoc on the traditional way wood producers did their work. Another strong point was we were told that pulp capacity was already at its limit.

Today, here we are pressured by industry to have our Crown Lands further controlled, cut, altered and over-exploited by them. Mr. Irving is still expecting to increase his production despite the limited resource. We gave these companies the key to a cheap resource, requiring them to be the guardians of these Crown Lands. Now they tell us the forests have somehow disappeared - putting the pressure of looming economic catastrophe onto the province. They want to take off the last doors of responsible guardianship of the common forest. It is clear that corporations are dragging us off the edge of the cliff to the decimation of the resource and its resultant poverty. They will keep expanding until the last tree falls.

 Recommendations: 
-  Begin the process of dismantling the Act which gives all the power to multinationals  - and give the forests back to the people
-    Reassign the care and control of all Crown Lands to communities to oversee their areas of common land!