Ministry of Natural…

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Whitney Block
Suite 6630
6th Floor
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1W3
 
 
Re: ERO #019-0880 Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy (Draft)
 
 
Dear Hon. Minister Yakabuski:
 
I am writing to express my concern about several aspects of the province’s draft Forest Sector Strategy.
 
While nature continues to decline globally at rates unprecedented in human history, your government is dismantling protections essential for maintaining critical habitats for Ontario’s species.
 
The Forest Sector Strategy continues this trend. It is based on a false premise that we can somehow keep deregulating and think that our forest management practices are world class. 
 
Your draft is not based on science. The Strategy irresponsibly allows trees to be logged at double the prior rate in Ontario. This is reckless and irresponsible at a time when Ontario’s forests provide a vital carbon sink in the fight against the climate crisis and an essential habitat for wildlife. 
 
With the forestry industry already exempt from the Endangered Species Act’s recovery requirements, it makes no sense to further erode vital protections. At a time when habitat conservation should be a priority, this Strategy takes Ontario in the opposite direction.
 
The forestry industry is an important part of Ontario’s economy, and it should be supported by emphasizing value over volume. It's unclear whether there is even a market for doubling the volume of wood harvested. 
 
Your strategy undermines Ontario’s position to market value-added, sustainably harvested wood products for value conscious consumers. I urge your government to maximize economic value by focusing on high-value activities such as timber buildings from sustainably harvested forests instead of dismantling habitat and species protections to promote high volume harvesting.  
 
I urge your government to revise this strategy and strengthen the protection of our natural heritage by:
 
1. Reversing plans to double the amount of logging in Ontario forests from 15 million to 30 million cubic metres of wood per year.
2. Including specific commitments to leave vast forest areas undisturbed by industry to ensure habitat protection for caribou and other at-risk species. 
3. Consulting with biologists and conservationists familiar with threats to local species and their habitats. 
4. Linking subsidies for the forestry industry to environmental performance, including plans to address habitat fragmentation. 
5. Reversing planned changes to the CFSA that would allow forest management planning to proceed without taking a test mandated by the Endangered Species Act. 
6. Halting logging road subsidies and the expansion of logging road networks until the legacy of roads, landings, and slash piles that degrade public forests, along with their moose and caribou populations, has been addressed.
 
Maintaining strong habitat and species protections has additional economic benefits for Ontario. Ontario’s natural beauty provides a tourism opportunity that the government should support. Ontario’s forests also provide an important carbon sink that will be valuable as new international markets for carbon credits emerge. 
 
It would be short-sighted for the government to undermine these opportunities. 
 
I hope that you will consider making revisions to the strategy and consulting with experts who best know how to effectively utilize and maintain our natural heritage for years to come, while at the same time maximizing economic value. 
 
Thank you,



Mike Schreiner
Leader, Green Party of Ontario