THE END RESULT - Forest Renewal

" Trees have literally built our world."

"A world without trees would be a world without one very important means of sheltering itself, teaching itself,...and ultimately evolving itself."

"We care a lot about trees..."

"As we move quickly towards a miniaturized, mechanized, computerized, electronic future, we think it's a good idea not to forget just how important... a simple tree can be."

These four statements were published in 1980, not by "tree-hugging", green activists, but by forest industry giant, Abitibi - Price Inc. of Thunder Bay, Ontario. page 5, The Equipment Connection, forestry, mining, general contracting Vol. 4 No. 2 May 1980 Silviculture by Lakehead Printing and Stenographic Services Limited, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Forest renewal is the hinge for sustainable forests. Forestry operators don't just walk through the door, devour the trees and walk away. They close the door behind themselves but they also remember the address.

In closing the door, they have removed their footprint by closing tertiary roads, applying site preparation and forest regeneration - planting tree seedlings or trees, seeding or just leaving sites as "free-to-grow" natural regeneration.

With finite forest limits our companies must make their management units produce more wood. By remembering the address I imply that they tend and protect their work, making stand improvements by selective cutting, thinning, and pest control. Sometimes "pests" are insects, sometimes just other vegetation in competition for sunlight and soil nutrients.

"The end result of all that happens to the forest is what silviculture is all about." ibid p.4

" Prior to 1962, the timber operators themselves were responsible for reforestation, but Ontario's forest management system has changed more than once." ibid p.7

"Since 1962, the province planted the trees on Crown land." ibid p.7

Then, April 1, 1980, the New Forest Management Agreement required the forest users to carry out all regeneration. Their allowable cut rose or fell on how well they regenerated their cuts.

Warren Moore, chief forester for Great Lakes Forest Products, Thunder Bay (1980), said , "It gives us an opportunity to have secure tenure on the area, and to increase our allowable cut by good management."

M.N.R. Regional Forester (1980), Jack Flowers said, " We (MNR) believe that proper silviculture must include harvesting techniques, since these so highly influence regeneration costs, and even decide whether or not regeneration is possible." Harvesting techniques being: Clear cut, Selection cut, Partial cut. All standards : CSA, SFI and FSC allow clearcuts if used appropriately.

THE CATCH

Warren Moore saw a catch, " The new system is a pay-back plan, which means that the government will pay us (the forest companies) for work done - from funds that are subject to appropriations approved by politicians and legislators."

It's not like forestry wasn't paying its way. Pulp and Paper Reports : 1983 commented on the value of forests. " Natural Resources have always been the foundation of Canada's economy and none has contributed as much as the forest." " Converting the forest harvest into hundreds of useful products creates more income (1983) than any other Canadian manufacturing activity."

MONEY IN TRUST

Some provinces have a Forest Sustainability Fund that is used to fund regeneration activities on private land , funded by registered wood buyers.

The Forest Renewal Trust was a financial mechanism established to ensure there would always be funding available for forest renewal.

The Silvicultural Renewal Fund is financed through contributions from each company based on the cubic metres per species cut - different species, different rates.

Forestry Futures Trust came from a portion of area charges paid to the Crown. This is an important Trust for us in this century as mills are closing down. It can be used for renewal of land where a licensee becomes insolvent. It is also used for renewal of trees killed by fire; forest protection from insects; and intensive stand management related to critical wood supply.

In 1995 that Trust was getting $8 to $10 million per year. In 1996 -97 $46 million in stumpage fees was paid to the Crown. and $42.4 million was paid to the Silvicultural Renewal Fund.

WIN SOME

In 1996/97 the provincial (Ontario ) total area for tending (95,867 hectares) and protection (24,682 hectares) was 120,549 hectares.

In 1995/96 a total of 9.7 million trees, and 35 million seedlings were planted equalling 28,000 hectares and 12,000 hectares were seeded.

LOSE SOME

In 1995/96 19,147,700 cubic metres of wood were lost through insects, disease and severe weather.

SEEDS OF A FOREST

In 2006, 1 billion conifer seeds were used: 20% for tree planting (seedlings) and 80% in seeding operations of which 5% were Jack Pine.

Oldest Jack Pine Tree

Just as a point of interest: The oldest know Jack Pine tree is 230 years old, found East of Lake Nipigon. Unpublished date: Roland Schoenike, U. of Minn. School of Forestry

SEEDS

From 2001 to 2005 , 23,000 hectares per year were seeded. About 7,000 hectolitres of conifer cones per year are collected and sent to seed-extraction plants. They heat the cones to near 50 degrees centigrade to melt the resin (the petroleum ether extract of the bonding material has a melting point of 122 degrees F), that keeps the scales of the cone together. The seeds fall out. Forest fires will do the same thing. Scorched seeds from burned trees have a germinated within 4 days of sowing. Normal harvested tree seeds takes 15 to 60 days to germinate.Jack Pine cones can remain closed for ten to twenty - five years. Northern Minnesota Jack Pine trees (good stand) hold 13 pounds or 2 million cleaned seeds per acre. The seed average is 13,000 per pound.

Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management in Canada, National Status, 2005, CCFM and CFS Indicator 2.5 : Proportion of Timber Harvest Area Successfully Regenerated

This Indicator reports on the extent of successful regeneration on over 18 million hectares of Crown forest lands harvested under even-aged management, 1975 - 2001

Page 68: "Prompt regeneration of harvested areas is necessary to maintain ecosystem productivity and ensure a sustainable flow of wood products." Age rotation for Jack Pine is 70 to 80 years on geed sites; for Pulpwood that could drop to 50 year rotation.

REGEN is a 1990 developed National Forestry Database Program that reports on the forest regeneration activities and conditions on harvested lands.

Since 1990 most jurisdictions in Canada have signed agreements or passed legislation that requires logging companies to manage the regeneration of their sites.

Natural Regeneration plays a much larger role in Canadian forestry than planting or seeding. (85% of the estimated 16.2 million hectares from operation 1975 through 2001)

When "stats" list "non-stocked" it refers to "areas that have not regenerated with enough trees of timber commercial species in the year their status was reported ."


These areas are not barren.

They could have a variety of woody and herbaceous plants but do not contain sufficient trees of commercial species. Also " It is important to understand there will be a natural lag period" during which the regenerating land will be considered non-stocked even though it may be regenerating adequately". Sot of like if we ignored everyone under the age of 21 in our Canadian census. By 1993, 2.4 million hectares was considered non-stocked. By 2001, that number was down to 2.1 million hectares and shrinking.

Some provinces such as Alberta, prevent the use of "alien " tree species. Nova Scotia on the other hand has the largest proportion of any Canadian jurisdiction of harvested land planted with "alien" trees. Most popular "alien" in the Eastern woods is the fast growing, drought resistant Norway Spruce.