• About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
Monday, April 12, 2021
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home Economy

Majority of New Brunswick citizens oppose new Crown forest strategy

by Tom Beckley
June 13, 2014
Reading Time: 2min read

UNB forest sociologist Tom Beckley told hundreds gathered at a rally to oppose the Alward forest plan that the government does not care what they think.

Fredericton – A telephone survey of 525 New Brunswickers conducted by the University of New Brunswick (UNB) shows a majority of citizens oppose the Crown Forest Strategy announced by the provincial government in March 2014. The survey, conducted May 16 to May 23 by Oracle Poll on behalf of researchers at UNB’s Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, shows opposition to the Strategy is three times greater than those supporting the policy (61% strongly oppose or oppose the policy, compared to 20% that strongly support or support).

In addition to questions exploring public opinion regarding the Crown Forest Strategy, the five-question survey repeated two questions from a 2007 survey conducted by a team of university and federal social scientists. The 2007 results are consistent with these new results and suggest that support for public consultation and conservation are core values of New Brunswickers.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents agreed with the statement that citizens, experts, communities and the legislature should be consulted before any long-term, binding agreements are made with the forest industry. Much of the criticism of the government strategy has to do with the lack of public consultation that went into it. These results are as much about democratic process as they are about the details of the forest policy.

The provincial Government’s proposed Crown Forest Strategy takes a new approach to Crown land management. It gives timber allocations to industry priority over conservation management. New Brunswickers, however, favour a conservation first approach. About 80 percent of respondents believe that we should look after conservation first and give timber allocations to industry from the remaining available land. Only 11 percent of respondents said that timber allocations to industry should be made first, with conservation targets determined from the available remaining Crown land.

In both the 2007 and the current survey, New Brunswickers said that management priority should first go to protecting soil, air and water resources; secondly to habitat to look after plant and animal life. Non-timber products received the lowest priority in both surveys. In the latest survey, recreation inched into the third spot and management priority for economic wealth and jobs fell from third to fourth among the five categories respondents were asked to rank.

The public’s skepticism of the forest industry’s impact and influence has grown moderately since the 2007 survey. There was an increase of five percent of respondents agreeing with the statement that the amount of timber cut in New Brunswick is too high (63% agree in 2014, compared to 58% in 2007). A similar five percent increase occurred for the statement, “The forest industry has too much control over forest management in New Brunswick.” Sixty-two percent of New Brunswickers agree with that statement in 2014, compared to 57 percent in 2007.

The survey also tackled some critical issues regarding policy process. Respondents were split on whether governments should be allowed to enter long-term binding contracts with industry on behalf of the public – 41 percent agreed that they should be able, compared to 37 percent that disagreed. However, the public does not agree that those contracts should bind the hands of future governments. By nearly a two to one margin, respondents disagreed that it is okay for governments to enter into contracts that bind future governments.

Crown land makes up 50 percent of the area of the province. It is a public trust, managed by government for the citizens of New Brunswick. The results from this survey suggest the public feels their trust was violated and that the things they value most about Crown forests are given short shrift in the new plan.

Tags: forestsliderTom Beckley
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

The clearcut from our kitchen window
*Opinion*

The clearcut from our kitchen window

March 16, 2021

The destroyers have come and done their worst. For more than a week we endured the agonizing death-rattle of life...

Nova Scotia forest defenders score legal victory
Canada

Nova Scotia forest defenders score legal victory

March 11, 2021

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Members of Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia who were involved in the blockade to save mainland moose habitat...

Bob Bancroft: Where have all the good forests gone? [video]
Environment

Bob Bancroft: Where have all the good forests gone? [video]

October 24, 2020

Bob Bancroft, a wildlife biologist and the president of Nature Nova Scotia, delivered the talk, “Where have all the good...

Tertulia: Tom Beckley on Wendell Berry [video]
Arts & Culture

Tertulia: Tom Beckley on Wendell Berry [video]

September 26, 2020

Tom Beckley delivered a tertulia on American writer and cultural critic Wendell Berry on September 23. Beckley is a sociologist...

Load More

Recommended

Corinne Hersey, Fredericton mayoral candidate: “You can’t be a leader unless you’re serving the people”

Corinne Hersey, Fredericton mayoral candidate: “You can’t be a leader unless you’re serving the people”

3 days ago
New Brunswick tenants protest rent hikes and evictions

New Brunswick tenants protest rent hikes and evictions

4 days ago
Rural communities raise concerns about New Brunswick’s local government green paper

Rural communities raise concerns about New Brunswick’s local government green paper

5 days ago
The city of Saint John was not meant to be shared. Are we sharing now?

The city of Saint John was not meant to be shared. Are we sharing now?

4 days ago
NB Media Co-op

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

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join/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.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In