FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN SUMMARY for the PIC RIVER FOREST

Transcription

1 FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN SUMMARY for the PIC RIVER FOREST April st, 0 to March st, 0 Prepared for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Wawa District, Northeast Region Prepared by GreenForest Management Inc., on behalf of BDO Canada Ltd., as Receiver of Great West Timber Ltd.

2 0 Summary of the 0 to 0 Pic River Forest Management Plan Introduction The Pic River Forest is the amalgamated Pic River Ojibway (SFL No. 0) and Black River (SFL No. 00) forests. Both previous Forest management Plans (FMP) addressed Crown forest management operations from April st, 00 to March st, 0. The amalgamated unit allows for a streamlined planning and approval process for the preparation of this plan. On approval, this FMP will replace all previous management and operating plans on the Pic River Ojibway Forest and Black River Forest, and licensing will be converted to a singular Sustainable Forest Licensee (SFL). The Pic River Forest is located north of Lake Superior within the th degree latitude, and between longitudes degrees and degrees. The community of Manitouwadge is located within the Black River Forest sub-unit and the communities of Marathon and Heron Bay are located adjacent to the southeast corner of the Pic River Ojibway sub-unit. The nearest large urban centres are Thunder Bay to the west and Sault Ste. Marie to the east.

3 Contacts for Inquiries The contacts for inquiries on this Forest Management Plan are: Paul Bernier, R.P.F. Jeffrey Cameron, R.P.F. Grant Goodwin District Manager Plan Author PRPCC (Chair) Ministry of Natural Resources GreenForest Ma nagement Inc. P.O. Box Mission Road P. O. Box 00 Manitouwadge, ON P0T C0 Wawa, ON P0S K0 Thunder Bay, ON P0T C0 Tel.: (0) - Tel.: (0) -0 Tel.: (0) - Management Responsibility The proposed amalgamation of the Black River and Pic River Ojibway Forest will result in a single Sustainable Forest Licensee (SFL) named Pic River Forest. This proposal was submitted by Great West Timber Limited (GWTL) which is the current SFL holder of the Black River and Pic River Ojibway SFL s. Currently, BDO Canada Ltd. (BDO) is Receiver and Trustee of GWT. In their capacity as receiver, BDO is responsible for the interests of the company including managing the SFL on behalf of GWTL. Green Forest Management Inc. (GFMI) is the management company who has been authorized by BDO to provide the services required to meet the SFL requirements for the Pic River Ojibway and Black River Forests and for the development of the amalgamated 0-0 Pic River Forest Management Plan. These services include, Forest Management Planning, Overlapping Licensees and Forest Renewal. GFMI is also an authorized administrator of the Forest Renewal Trust account, as well as the Road Construction and Maintenance Trust Account. MNR administrates all aspects of resource management on the forest. More details about the administration of the forest can be found in section. of the FMP. Local Citizen s Committee Participation A member of the local citizen s committee (LCC) has participated in the preparation of the forest management plan as a planning team member and attended all information sessions and formal issue resolution meetings. The proposed management strategy, long-term management direction and draft forest management plan were presented to the committee and input was requested on these products as well as the background information. The LCC has prepared the following brief statement of agreement with the draft FMP (proposed operations): Manitouwadge Public Consultation Committee Local Citizens Committee s Statement Pic River Forest 0-0 Draft Forest Management Plan The Pic River Public Consultation Committee, which also serves the function of the Local Citizens Committee for the Pic River Forest, has been regularly updated on the state of the 0 0 Forest Management Plan for the Pic River Forest. Input from the planning team and the PRPCC member on the planning team has been comprehensive. Questions and most but not all of the concerns that the members have had, have been addressed to their satisfaction. At our Pic River Public Consultation Committee monthly meeting on January 0, 0, the Final Submission Plan for the Pic River Forest 0-0 was unanimously endorsed. Grant E. Goodwin Chair Pic River Public Consultation Committee The LCC report can be found in the supplementary documentation..0 of the FMP.

4 Long-term Management Direction Summary The Long-Term Management Direction (LTMD) for the Forest provides guidance for the levels of access, harvest, renewal and tending activities required to achieve the desired future forest and benefits. In the development of the LTMD, management objectives and indicators are identified, and analytical methodologies, models and tools regarding forest regulation, social and economic assessment, wildlife habitat supply and landscape management are used. This is discussed in Section of the FMP which references supporting details in the supplementary documentation to the plan. The long-term management direction provides a means of assessing the sustainability of the management strategy through the measurement and monitoring of indicators that have been developed for each management objective. It is expected that a balanced achievement of the quantitative and qualitative biological, social and economic objectives, will result in the desired long-term future forest condition and benefits. Plan Objectives and Indicators As required by the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, management objectives for the Pic River Forest must be compatible with the sustainability of the Crown forest, and indicators of objective achievement must be identified. In addition, the Crown Forest Sustainability Act requires that each FMP contain management objectives relating to: (a) Crown forest diversity, including consideration for the conservation of natural landscape patterns, forest structure and composition, habitat for animal life and the abundance and distribution of forest ecosystems; (b) Social and economic factors, including harvest levels and a recognition that healthy forest ecosystems are vital to the well-being of Ontario communities; (c) The provision of forest cover for those values that are dependent on the Crown forest; and (d) Silviculture for the harvest, renewal and maintenance of the Crown forest. Table FMP- summarizes management objectives, indicators, desirable levels and associated targets and presents an assessment of achievement of desirable levels for each objective, for those which can be assessed at this time. The management objectives, indicators, desirable levels and targets were developed with input from the Pic River Public Consultation Committee (formally the Manitouwadge Public Consultation Committee and the Terrace Bay Area Resource Advisory Committee) (through the Desired Forest and Benefits meeting), the planning team, and MNR advisors. Sources of information considered in their development included, but were not limited to: the current FMP s; background information; forest management guides and policies; Reports of Past Forest Operations; MNR forest management planning direction and training, and scoping investigations for the 0 to0 FMP. For each management objective, at least one indicator of objective achievement was developed, along with an associated desirable level(s) and target(s). Some objectives have multiple indicators to measure achievement. A desirable level is a specific number, a range or a trend for an indicator, to be achieved and maintained over time. As with desirable levels, targets are specific numbers, ranges, or trends, with a timeframe for achievement. The establishment of targets for each objective reflected a balancing of objective achievement and considered: (a) Social, economic and environmental considerations;

5 (b) The associated indicator and its desirable level; (c) The current forest condition; and, (d) The short-term (0 years), medium-term (0 years) and long-term (00 years). The rationale used in setting desirable levels and targets is summarized in the Analysis Package (section.. of the Supplementary Documentation). Modeling with the Strategic Forest Management Model (SFMM) assisted in quantitative scoping investigations and the development of the long term management strategy (see section.) that balances the achievement of management objectives over time. There are a total of 0 objectives and indicators in this FMP. The Long Term Management Direction The Long Term Management Direction is represented by the types and levels of access, harvest, renewal and tending activities required to manage forest cover in a manner that balances the achievement of management objectives over time. The MNR approved Strategic Forest Management Model (SFMM) is used to develop the Long Term Management Strategy. The development of the Long Term Management Direction is an iterative process whereby results are examined and SFMM inputs adjusted as required to improve the model s ability to meet management objectives. This process commonly involves adjusting volume targets, harvest flow policies and targets for the forest diversity indicators forest unit area, old growth, mature forest and wildlife habitat. As each case is run, the resulting harvest volume, forest diversity indicators, silvicultural expenditures and the silvicultural treatment program are examined. The process continues until the planning team is satisfied that no further significant improvements can be made, that on-balance objectives have been achieved, and that the solution is practical and can be implemented. The modeling process that led to the Long Term Management Direction is described in section. of the plan. The outputs of forest modeling for the Management Strategy provide the source for the long term (00- year) projections of quantifiable objectives and are documented within the plan in the following tables: (a) Projected Forest Condition for the Crown Productive Forest (Table FMP-); (b) Projected Habitat for Selected Wildlife Species (Table FMP-); (c) Projected Available Harvest Area by Forest Unit (Table FMP-); and (d) Projected Available Harvest Volume by Species Group (Table FMP-); Proposed Forest Operations for the 0-year Plan Term Clearcutting has long been recognized as a form of management wherein all the mature trees are removed at once. Clearcutting still involves the removal of the majority of the mature trees, however, Natural Disturbance Patch Emulation Guidelines require the maintenance of several residual trees to be left after the harvest and often residual patches of uncut areas are to be left as well. Clearcutting is an appropriate management system for many mixedwood stands and stands to be managed for tree species that are intolerant of shade (e.g. poplar, white birch, jack pine). Clearcut is the only silvicultural system applied on the Pic River Forest. Each stand is assigned to a forest unit based on species composition, stocking and history. All stands within a forest unit are managed under the same silvicultural system but may be managed with different treatments (e.g. planting, site preparation, tending) and may have different objectives in terms of different future forest conditions. The management strategy is indicated through the Silvicultural Ground Rule.

6 Each stand to be harvested is assigned a Silvicultural Ground Rule. Each Silviculture Ground Rule (SGR) describes the components that make up an individual SGR, including a description of the current and future stand conditions, renewal treatment options and the regeneration standards that are to be met. Each SGR is intended to describe the harvest, renewal and tending activities that will be carried out on a given stand to allow the current Forest Unit, following harvest, to succeed to the Future Forest Unit, whether it is similar to the pre harvest stand or a different Forest Unit. Planned Harvest Area Area planned for harvest during the 0-0 Pic River Forest Management Plan is consistent with the 0 year annual available harvest area (AHA) by forest unit in the Long-Term Management Direction (LTMD). Term Harvest (0-0) There are, hectares of term harvest identified on the operations maps. Term harvest is planned to be harvested within the first five-year term (0-0) of the FMP. Bridging Harvest Area (0-0) Candidate area for bridging operations will be identified from areas scheduled to be accessed and harvested in the last annual work schedule (AWS). The area for bridging operations is limited to three months of harvest area (from the current FMP s), and the harvest of bridging areas must be completed by March st, 0. Three months of harvest area for the 0-0 Black River CP and 00-0 Pic River Ojibway FMP is. ha and. ha respectively. For this FMP, hectares were selected for bridging harvest operations on the Black River sub-unit and hectares were selected for bridging harvest operations on the Pic River Ojibway sub-unit. There has been little to no harvesting activity on the Pic River Ojibway sub-unit since 00, therefore, bridging area on the Pic River Ojibway sub-unit consists of some blocks with roadside logs and some blocks with bundles of logs that have yet to be skidded to the road side. Having these blocks available for harvest in the first year of the FMP will allow for these blocks to be cleaned up and fibre to be utilized if markets do become available. Bridging area is identified on the Index and operations maps. Contingency Harvest Area Contingency areas may potentially be harvested in the event that unforeseen circumstances cause some of the proposed harvest area to be unavailable for harvest, and will only be used if required. There are, hectares of Contingency harvest proposed and identified on the operations maps. Harvest Area and Volume by Forest Unit and Species Group The planned harvest areas for the 0-year plan term summarized by principal forest units and the harvest volumes (m ) by the principal species groups are listed in tables below:

7 0 Table. Harvest Area (hectares) by Forest Unit Forest Unit Planned Harvest Area (hectares) SB, PJ,0 LC PJ SP, SF, PO,0 BW, MW MW, Total, Table. Volume (m ) by species group Species Group Volume (m ) Spruce, Pine and Fir (SPF),0, Birch (BW),0 Poplar (PO),0 Total,,0 Proposed Road Access The proposed (0 year) road construction summarized for road classes (primary and branch roads) that are needed to access all harvest and renewal operations over the 0-year term are listed below. Operational (i.e. tertiary) roads are not listed. (See summary map and section. of the FMP for more details)

8 Table. Road Name and Proposed Construction Road Classification and Proposed Road Road Classification Proposed Road Name Construction (km) and Name Construction (km) Primary: Branch: Caribou. Boomerang Creek. Dagger. Cache Lake West. Esker lake.0 Cairngorm. Esker South. Dead Otter. Foxtrap. Fields East. Ice Lake 0. Gowan. Nelly. Km. Owl Lake.0 Lake X. Prairie River. Larry Lake. Lola Lake. McClaren Lake. Moshkinabi.0 Muskeg. Owl Lake. Owl Lake South. Poppy South. Vein Lake East. West Harriet. 0 Total. Total. Operational roads from the previous FMP s (Black River and Pic River Ojibway) that are currently drivable and needed to access harvest operations in term (0-0) of the 0-0 Pic River FMP will be re-classified to branch roads. These roads may also be used to access future allocations and renewal areas. Below are the roads being proposed for re-classification: Table. Road Re-classification (Operational to Branch) Road Name Length of Road (km) Forest. Island 0. Helicopter. Mooseskull.0 River 0. Swede East. Turcak. Renaud 0. Flail. Total.0 The Road Use Management Strategies for each primary, branch and operational roads are located within Roads Supplementary Documentation... The proposed new primary and branch road locations associated with the 0-0 FMP are also indicated on the Index Map. The management strategies for each road are consistent with those indicated in the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas.

9 Proposed Forest Renewal and Tending Operations The proposed (0 year) renewal and maintenance activities that are required to meet the plan objectives are listed below by renewal activity type. These renewal activities will be carried out on the current planned harvest areas as well as areas harvested during past plan terms. Artificial regeneration refers to tree planting and seeding. Supplemental treatment usually refers to an area that is regenerating naturally that needs some supplemental (usually tree planting) treatment to meet the regeneration standards. (See Section.. of the FMP for more details) Table. Proposed renewal areas (ha) Renewal Activities Proposed Treatment Area (ha) Natural Regeneration, Artificial Regeneration, Total Regeneration,0 Retreatment 0 Supplemental 0 Total Site Preparation,0 Total Tending 0, Operational Prescriptions for Proposed Operations Area of Concern Prescriptions An area of concern (AOC) is a geographic area associated with an identified natural resource feature, land use or value that may be affected by forest management activities. AOC prescriptions for the Pic River FMP have been prepared by the planning team to address identified values that may be affected by proposed operations. Prescriptions for areas of concern within the areas of operations are documented in Table FMP-0. Table FMP-0 presents for each AOC, among other things, the unique identifier which is illustrated on maps; a description of the protected value; the operational prescription; the source of direction for the prescription; and the table identifies if there are any conditions on roads, landings and forestry aggregate pits. Where required, AOC documentation for prescriptions is presented in Supplementary Documentation... Conditions on Regular Operations Where applicable, Conditions on Regular Operations (CROs) for harvest, renewal, tending, roads, landings and aggregate pits have been developed through the application of MNR s the Forest Management Guide for Conserving Biodiversity at the Stand and Site Scales (00). These conditions are presented in Section... of the FMP. The CROs apply to the entire Pic River Forest, unless superseded by an AOC prescription. Silviculture Ground Rules A silvicultural ground rule (SGR) is a specification, standard, and other instruction that directs silvicultural activities on a management unit during the period of the forest management plan. Silvicultural ground rules were developed for various forest unit-ecosite combinations and are assigned to those areas that will be managed on the Pic River Forest. The SGRs and the associated prescriptions for harvest, renewal and tending are presented in Table FMP-, and will serve as the prescriptions for operations, including naturally depleted areas that are salvaged. All harvest, renewal and tending areas have been assigned an SGR.

10 0 0 Issue The only issue that the Planning Team was unable to reach consensus on involved the construction of an primary road on the Pic River Forest which would create a new connection to the Catlonite Road on the Kenogami Forest. A written submission requesting Issue Resolution was provided to the Regional Director on December st, 0 during the 0 days following the completion of the 0-day period for public review of the draft forest management plan. A meeting could not be arranged, therefore, The MNR Regional Director asked each of the MNR District Manager, the plan author, the concerned person(s) and the local citizens committee, to provide their views and recommend a proposed solution, in writing no later than January, 0. The MNR Regional Director considered the results the written submissions, and produce a written decision on the issue on January rd, 0. The written decision is summarized in the supplementary documentation..b. Public Consultation There is one remaining formal consultation opportunities for the Pic River Forest Management Plan, the Public Inspection of the MNR approved Forest Management Plan. During this 0-day public inspection period the public may submit a written request to the Director, Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch, Ministry of the Environment for an individual environmental assessment. Summary Map The proposed harvest, renewal and tending operations, locations of existing and new primary and branch road construction for the 0 year term are shown on the summary map. The map also contains an index map showing the location of the management unit within the province. 0