Stage Two: Review of Proposed Long-term Management Direction of the 2021-2031 Forest Management Plan for the Kenogami forest

Our Ministry, along with Ne-Daa-Kii-Me-Naan Inc. and the Geraldton Area Natural Resources Advisory Committee (GANRAC), invite you to review and comment on the proposed Long-term Management Direction for the 2021-2031 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Kenogami Forest.

The planning process

The plan takes approximately three years to complete. During this time, five formal opportunities for public consultation and First Nation and Métis community involvement and consultation are provided:

• Stage One – Invitation to Participate: April 3, 2019

This Stage Two notice is:

1. invite you to review and comment on:
   • the proposed long-term management direction for the forest
   • the areas which could reasonably be harvested, and the preferred areas for harvest operations, during the 10-year period of the plan
   • the analysis of alternative one-kilometer wide corridors for each new primary road which is required for the next 20 years
2. request your contribution to background information to be used in planning

How to get involved

To facilitate your review, a summary of the proposed Long-term Management Direction for the forest can be obtained on the Ontario government website ‘Find A Forest Plan’ link below.  A summary map(s) of the preferred and optional harvest areas for the 10-year period of the plan and alternative corridors for each new primary road which is required for the next 20 years will also be available.

In addition to the most current versions of the information and maps which were available at Stage One of public consultation, the following information and maps will be available:

• summary of public comments and submissions received to date and any responses to those comments and submissions
• a summary report of the results of the desired forest and benefits meeting
• environmental analysis, including use management strategies of the alternative corridors for each new primary road
• maps that portray past and approved areas of harvest operations for the current forest management plan and the previous 10 years
• criteria used for the identification of areas that could reasonably be harvested during the 10-year period of the plan
• the rationale for the preferred areas for harvest
• summary report of the activities of the local citizen’s committee to date

The above information is available at the company and ministry offices identified below by appointment during normal office hours for a period of 30 days: February 19, 2020 – March 20, 2020.  

Comments on the proposed Long-term Management Direction for the Kenogami Forest must be received by Charlotte Bourdignon, R.P.F., of the planning team at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forstry - Geraldton Field Office, Nipigon District at (807) 854-1826 by March 20, 2020.

Meetings with representatives of the planning team and the GANRAC can be requested at any time during the planning process. Reasonable opportunities to meet planning team members during non-business hours will be provided upon request.  If you require more information or wish to discuss your interests and concerns with a planning team member, please contact one of the individuals listed below.

During the planning process there is an opportunity to make a written request to seek resolution of issues with the MNRF district manager or the Regional Director using a process described in the 2017 Forest Management Planning Manual (Part A, Section 2.4.1).

About the forest

The Kenogami Forest is a forest management unit administered by the MNRF in the Nipigon District, Northwest Region. This forest management unit is currently being managed under a Forest Resource Licence and Forestry Agreement held by Ne-Daa-Kii-Me-Naan Inc.

The Kenogami Forest is located in the Boreal Forest Region and in the northern portion of the “area of the undertaking” as defined in the Class Environmental Assessment for the Timber Management on Crown Lands in Ontario. The forest is bordered on the south by Lake Superior and the north by the Kapikotongwa River. The predominant tree species are black spruce, jack pine, balsam fir, poplar and white birch. The Kenogami Forest is 1,939,382 hectares in size, of which 1,610,155 hectares are considered to be productive forest for the purpose of forest management activities.

This forest provides a major portion of the wood supply to AV Terrace Bay Inc.’s pulp mill in Terrace Bay.  A portion of the wood supply is committed to the Lecours Lumber Company Ltd. sawmill in Hearst; as well, there is a wood supply commitment to Levesque Plywood Ltd. (operating as Columbia Forest Products in Hearst). Wood fibre from the Kenogami Forest is also used by the Longlac Lumber Inc. sawmill in Longlac and Nakina Lumber Inc. sawmill in Nakina. These occasional wood supply arrangements are made possible through fibre exchange agreements or sale of material.

The Kenogami Forest was created in 1997 by amalgamating the former Geraldton Company Management Unit with the Longlac Forest, Nakina Forest and a portion of the Onaman Crown Management Unit. Forest harvest, renewal and tending operations have been occurring for approximately 70 years in this area. A network of forest access roads has been created through a large portion of the Kenogami Forest.

The communities of Geraldton, Nakina, Longlac, Schreiber and Terrace Bay are all located within the forest. There are several First Nation communities situated within the Kenogami Forest: Pays Plat, Ginoogaming, Long Lake No. 58 and Aroland. The First Nation communities of Constance Lake, Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek, Red Rock Indian Band, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg lay outside the boundaries of the forest but have traditional territories within it.

Stay involved

There will be three more formal opportunities for you to be involved. These stages are listed and tentatively scheduled as follows:

Stage Three – Information Centre: Review of Proposed Operations                     September 2020
Stage Four –   Information Centre: Review of Draft Forest Management Plan      May 2021
Stage Five –    Inspection of Ministry Approved Forest Management Plan            October 2021

The approval date of the FMP is scheduled tentatively for October 4, 2021.

If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notified of public involvement opportunities, please contact Charlotte Bourdignon, R.P.F., at (807) 854-1826. 

We are collecting your personal information and comments under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Any personal information you provide (address, name, telephone, etc.) will be protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act however, your comments will become part of the public consultation process and may be shared with the general public. Your personal information may be used by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to send you further information related to this forest management planning exercise. If you have questions about the use of your personal information, please contact Marie Parsons at (807) 887-5012.