• About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home *Opinion*

Protect our forests to save jobs and wildlife

by Graham Forbes
February 28, 2011
Reading Time: 2min read
Protect our forests to save jobs and wildlife

Lynx

An open letter to Premier David Alward and Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup from New Brunswick scientists and conservationists.

Your government is making important decisions on the amount of land that will exist for wildlife, biodiversity, and clean water in New Brunswick.

Surveys have repeatedly confirmed that these are important issues to the people of New Brunswick. Notwithstanding, the previous government decided to decrease the amount of conservation forest, from 30 per cent down to 23 to 25 per cent. Almost half of the deer wintering areas were de-listed, even though many species benefit from this habitat. Protected areas will increase, but only to six to eight per cent and even then, the new protected areas were made from forest stands that were already partly-protected.

Overall, there is a net decrease in the amount of protected land. At the same time, government increased the amount of intensive forest practices. Plantations, for example, will go from 12 per cent now to 30 per cent of the public forest in the next 40 years. These are significant changes to public forest.

For the last 20 years, forest management planning in New Brunswick has been based on maintaining minimum amounts of wildlife habitat; these are the last bits of old and special forest that certain animals must have in order to live out their lives and raise their young. These amounts are well-advertised and published in government documents.

For example, wildlife that need old spruce fir forest may be able to tolerate the clearcutting, conversion, and plantations if there are enough untouched stands of 375ha with trees of a certain size and type.

We are concerned that the proposed forest policy and guaranteed timber supply objective can only result in a failure to meet even these minimum targets.

If true, this would call into question the claim that New Brunswick practices sustainable management of its resources – a requirement for any green certification for our products.

Accountability is often stated as a cornerstone of good governance. Because the decisions are being made now, we are asking for a transparent public accounting of whether defendable habitat targets are being retained for the benefit of wildlife, New Brunswickers, and long-term viability of our forest industry.

Sincerely:

GRAHAM FORBES, PHD
Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, UNB

MARC-ANDRE VILLARD, PHD
Département de biologie. Université de Moncton

ANTONY DIAMOND, PHD, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, UNB

ROBERTA CLOWATER
Executive Director, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, NB Chapter

VINCE ZELAZNY
Registered Professional Forester

DAVID COON
Executive Director, Conservation Council of New Brunswick

ROGER ROY, RPF, PHD
Faculté de foresterie, Université de Moncton – Edmundston

Tags: biodiversityCCNBConservation Council NBDavid Coon
Send

Related Posts

Forever dangerous: New video outlines Indigenous Nations’ positions on nuclear energy and waste
Energy

Forever dangerous: New video outlines Indigenous Nations’ positions on nuclear energy and waste

December 3, 2024

A 10-minute video titled Askomiw Ksanaqak (Forever Dangerous): Indigenous Nations Resist Nuclear Colonialism was released on Nov. 29 as part of a study...

Greens disappointed with MLA’s loss but welcome Tory defeat [video]
New Brunswick

Greens disappointed with MLA’s loss but welcome Tory defeat [video]

October 24, 2024

For Green Party supporters and candidates, feelings of disappointment were mixed with relief on election night, as they gathered in...

Trouver la joie dans les soins de longue durée avec Pat Armstrong, experte et chercheuse éminente
Articles en français

Trouver la joie dans les soins de longue durée avec Pat Armstrong, experte et chercheuse éminente

October 14, 2024

Une préposée aux bénéficiaires (PAB) a perdu tellement de patients dans son centre de soins de longue durée au début...

Finding the joy in long-term care with Pat Armstrong
Health

Finding the joy in long-term care with Pat Armstrong

October 14, 2024

A personal support worker lost so many residents in her long-term care home during the onset of COVID-19 that she...

Load More

Recommended

Délai prolongé! COOP Média NB offre d’emploi : Journaliste vidéo autochtone

Toujours pas de justice cinq ans après le meurtre de Chantel Moore

4 days ago
The Millennium Scoop: an ongoing crisis for Indigenous families

The Millennium Scoop: an ongoing crisis for Indigenous families

4 days ago
Livestream: Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]

Livestream: Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]

2 hours ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

X
Did you like this article? Support the NB Media Co-op! Vous avez aimé cet article ? Soutenez la Coop Média NB !
Join/Donate