I have worked in the…

I have worked in the Forestry Industry for 40 years in North Western Ontario. As an advocate for the Forestry Industry as well as the Secretary Treasurer of the Canadian Forestry Council, we appreciate your work to finalize a commitment from the government to protect the forests of Ontario as well as the jobs and communities who are dependent on forestry.
Our woodlands have been well managed for decades by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Forestry is a sustainable operation and with tree planting programs we have kept our forests and fauna of the forests secure. Without proper management,our forests would become targets for disease, insects and fires, in fact, forest fires take hundreds of hectares more trees than are harvested each year.
In Thunder Bay we once had 7 forestry operations, we now have 1 pulp & paper mill and 1 sawmill. When you look across the region at how many of these mills have closed and imagine how many trees were cut to sustain these operations, compared to now, the impact on forests is negligible. If we had not maintained our forests with our advanced silvicultural practices and replanting, our forests would not exist as the stands that we now see in the North. Our animals are well protected, leaving strips of forest for caribou and other animals and leaving ample borders around lakes to prevent erosion. New studies on clear cutting small sections of the forest now have determined this practice has been beneficial to caribou and other species.
Climate change has had a dramatic effect on our forests including dryer summers with more fires and insect damage. Look at the continuous fires in western Canada & US and Australia.
The changing climate is driving many species north. Caribou have not been seen in our area for years but we have new species of insects and animals; earwigs, raccoons etc.
In this sense, the ESA is not a practical solution, rather we should consider the CFSA as an equivalent process to the ESA for implementing species protections. A permanent solution through the CFSA will ensure that protections for endangered species are balanced with other important socio-economic outcomes.
We all have a stake in protecting our forests, our flora and fauna, our jobs and our future.

Thank you

Bob Hoffman B.Sc.
Mill Systems Coordinator - Resolute Forest Products
Secretary Treasurer - Canadian Forestry Council