Stage Three: Information Center - Review of Proposed Operations for the 2021-2031 Trout Lake Forest Management Plan

Our Ministry, along with Domtar Pulp and Paper Products Inc. and the Red Lake District Resource Management Advisory Committee (LCC), invite you to an information centre. This information centre is being held as part of the detailed planning of operations for the 10-year period of the 2021-2031 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Trout Lake 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: September 15, 2018
• Stage Two – Proposed Long-term Management Direction: December 4, 2019 to January 3,  2020

This Stage Three notice is:

• to invite you to review and comment on:
  • the details of access, harvest, renewal and tending operations for the 10-year period of the plan, and
  • the proposed primary and branch road corridors and the proposed operational road boundaries for the 10-year period of the plan
• to request contributions to the background information to be used in planning

How to get involved

To facilitate your review, an information centre will be held at the following location from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm on the following day:

• March 25, 2020 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 238, 40 John St, Ear Falls, ON P0V 1T0

The following information may be obtained at the information centre:

• summary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Regional Director’s preliminary endorsed long-term management direction
• summary map(s) of:
  • the planned areas for harvest, renewal and tending operations for the 10-year period of the plan
  • the proposed corridors for new primary and branch roads for the 10-year period of the plan

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

• summary of public comments and submissions received to date and any responses to those comments and submissions
• the proposed road use management strategies
• the list of required modifications resulting from the public review of the long-term management direction

The detailed proposed operations will be available for review and comment at the Domtar Pulp and Paper Products Inc. office and the MNRF Red Lake District Office at the locations shown below by appointment during normal office hours for a period of 60 days: March 25, 2020 – May 24, 2020.

Comments on the proposed operations for the Trout Lake Forest must be received by Mark Zhang of the planning team at the MNRF Red Lake District Office by May 24, 2020.

Meetings with representatives of the planning team and the LCC 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 Trout Lake Forest is located in the MNRF's Northwest Region and in the Red Lake District.  The Trout Lake Forest includes approximately 815,000 hectares of Crown land.  The Trout Lake Conservation Reserve, Bruce Lake Conservation Reserve, Harth Lake Conservation Reserve, Brokenmouth River Conservation Reserve, Whitemud Conservation Reserve and Gull-Christina Conservation Reserve are all located within the Trout Lake Forest.

The Trout Lake Forest is located in the Boreal forest.  Tree species common to the forest include jack pine, black spruce, trembling aspen, white spruce, balsam poplar, white birch with lesser quantities of red pine, white pine, tamarack, black ash and eastern white cedar.  The forest is approximately 1.1 million hectares in size.  The forest is used by the mining industry, tourism operators, bait harvesters, trappers, hunters and anglers.  Many communities in northwestern Ontario depend on wood flow from the Trout Lake Forest, including Red Lake, Kenora, Dryden, Ear Falls, Fort Frances and Hudson.

The forest is managed under the authority of a sustainable forest licence (No. 542461), which has been issued by MNRF to Domtar Pulp and Paper Products Inc.

The Trout Lake Forest is currently operating under a two-year Contingency Forest Management Plan from 2019-2021. 

Stay involved

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

Stage Four – Information Centre:  Review of Draft Forest Management Plan: July 2020

Stage Five – Inspection of Ministry Approved Forest Management Plan January 2021

The tentative scheduled date for submission of the draft FMP is July 10, 2020

If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notified of public involvement opportunities, please contact Mark Zhang at (807) 727-2575.

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 MNRF 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 Kathy Crampton at (807) 727-1332.