Greenmantle Forest Inc. (GFI…

Greenmantle Forest Inc. (GFI) is the Sustainable Forest Licensee (SFL) for the Lakehead Forest. Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) Posting #019-4922 and its outcome is important to GFI’s forest operations.
The Lakehead Forest has a well-developed road network, as such, Crown land is easily accessed by citizens of the City of Thunder Bay and the surrounding rural communities. With the proximity to settlement, the Lakehead Forest is very a ‘public’ forest subject to heavy use by stakeholders and the public.
Collection of forest resources for personal use from the Lakehead Forest has occurred for many years. With public access and exposure, GFI’s forest operations have experienced incidents of wood theft, garbage disposal, equipment and asset vandalism, fuel theft, and other random interference with active forest operations. Although this ERO proposal specifies no personal use harvest in active operations, GFI is concerned there will be an increase of activity harmful to its operations.

Wood piled at roadside and parts of trees (tops and branches) placed or piled at roadside may still be a commercial product of forest operations and waiting on further processing for transport to a mill site. These sites may be part of ongoing operations and not available for personal harvest.
Unattended, harvested timber piled at roadside, or parts of trees at roadside, are a source of revenue for the harvester and GFI; it is not abandoned wood and not available for personal harvest. Although the operation may be perceived as inactive, activity to haul can/may commence without advance notice; or roadside tops and branches are often processed with grinders for biomass for local facilities within two to three years of harvest.
The proposed personal use harvest of Crown forest resources includes the transplanting of up to five trees that are no larger that 1.4 metres in height, annually, per household. However, the rules in the regulation provide no distinction between the taking of planted or naturally grown trees. The rules and conditions must be changed to prohibit removal of trees from forest plantations.
With cutting of standing dead wood being proposed, a clear definition of ‘dead wood’ is needed to avoid cutting of live deciduous trees during the leaf-off season.