Stage Two: Review of proposed Long-Term Management Direction Ottawa Valley Forest 2021- 2031 Forest Management Plan

The Ministry, Ottawa Valley Forest Inc. (OVFI) and the Ottawa Valley Local Citizens’ Committee (LCC) invite you to participate in the development of the 2021-2031 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Ottawa Valley Forest.

The planning process

The FMP 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. The first opportunity (Stage One) for this FMP occurred on September 19th, 2019, when the public was invited to “Participate” in the development of the plan.

This ‘Stage Two’ notice is to invite you to review and comment on:

• the proposed Long-Term Management Direction (LTMD) for the forest
• the areas which could reasonably be harvested, and the preferred areas for harvest operations, during the ten-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
• to request contributions to the background information to be used in planning

How to get involved

To facilitate your review, a summary of the proposed LTMD for the forest can be obtained on the Ontario government website 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:

• draft First Nation and Métis Background Information Report if communities agree
• 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 (LCC) to date

The above information can be made available by contacting OVFI and/or MNRF during normal office hours for a period of 30 days November 10, 2020 – December 10, 2020.

Comments on the proposed LTMD for the Ottawa Valley Forest must be received by Krista Watters of the planning team by December 10, 2020.

About the forest

The Ottawa Valley Forest is in MNRF’s Pembroke District, which is part of the Southern Region.

For forest management purposes, MNRF has issued a sustainable forest licence to Ottawa Valley Forest Inc. Under the licence, the corporation is responsible for, among other things, the preparation of the forest management plan. Ottawa Valley Forest Inc. is a partnership comprised of traditional Crown wood harvesters and users in the unit. The Ottawa Valley Forest currently supplies both softwood and hardwood timber and residual to a wide assortment of local sawmills, pulp and paper mills and board plants. There are over 40 wood processing facilities that receive wood from this area.

The area included in the planning process lies within Renfrew County. The Ottawa Valley Forest management unit lies within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region and is dominated by poplar, white pine, oak and maple with lesser amounts of birch, balsam fir, red pine, cedar and hemlock. The overall landscape pattern is fragmented by multiple land uses: Crown and private forestry, agriculture, roads and urban development, and federal lands.

The total area of the management unit, all ownerships combined, is 805,554 hectares. Crown lands and waters comprise 326,534 hectares, or 41% of the management unit. Of this area 29,388 hectares (9%) are water and 297,146 hectares (91%) are land. There are 15,371 hectares of Crown lands in regulated parks and protected areas. The balance of Crown lands is the managed portion of the Ottawa Valley Forest.

In addition to fibre for commercial use, the forest supports wildlife, ecosystem functions, and contributes to the quality of life of the approximately 148,000 residents of this management unit. The primary activities occurring in the Ottawa Valley Forest area include hunting, fishing, ATV touring, snowmobiling, and general outdoor recreation. Commercial tourism and recreation are significant in the area, although most of the facilities and use occur on private land. There are a number of species at risk that have been found on the Ottawa Valley Forest including, butternut and turtles, among others.

The anticipated dates the forest management plan will be in effect are for the 10-year period from 2021-2031

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 March 2021

Stage Four - Information Centre: Review of Draft Forest Management Plan July 2021

Stage Five - Inspection of MNRF-Approved Forest Management Plan November 2021

If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notified of public involvement opportunities, please contact Krista Watters by email at krista.watters@ontario.ca.

A final opportunity to inspect the approved plan before it is implemented will take place during the inspection of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry-approved Forest Management Plan (Stage Five), which is tentatively scheduled for November 2021.

The implementation date of the FMP is tentatively scheduled for 2021.

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 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 Shari MacDonald by email at shari.macdonald@ontario.ca

An alternate to the government contact for this notice is:

Nick Gooderham, R.P.F.
Plan Author
Ottawa Valley Forest Inc.
613-735-1888 ext. 201
ngooderham@ovfi.ca