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Small Private Landowners’ Forum
Woodland Conferences 2014
The Beginning
• Initial forum held January, 2013 Truro
• Objectives: 1. Identify issues relevant to landowners and
landowner organizations 2. Form a Working Group to collaboratively
address issues 3. Decide on next steps for the Working Group
• Results: – Nine key issue areas identified – Agreed to form a group to meet on a monthly
basis to work on issues – NFA to be the facilitator of the group
• First meeting held in February, 2013 • Continued to meet monthly throughout 2013
The Beginning
Participants • Assoc. for Sustainable Forestry • Athol Forestry Cooperative Ltd. • Baddeck Valley Wood Producers
Co-op Ltd. • Conform Limited • Ecology Action Centre • Federation of NS Woodland
Owners • La Foret Acadienne • Mersey Tobeatic Research
Institute
• North Inverness Forest Management
• North Nova Forest Owners Co-op • Nova Forest Alliance • Nova Scotia Landowners and
Forest Fibre Producers Assoc. • Nova Scotia Silviculture
Contractors Association • Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and
Operators Association • Picea Forestry Consulting and FSC
Group Acadian Forest Keepers
Issues Identified at Forum Programs (Silviculture, Certification, Outreach/Education) • Sustainable Funding Mechanisms • Equitable Distribution of Funding for Programs • Funding Management • Silviculture Programs • Access to Services Other Issues: • Environmental Goods and Services • Certification and Management Planning • Markets • Forest Ecosystem Classification
Progress to Date
• Silviculture Programs (Main Themes) – Focus on Ecosystem-based Planning – Priority on Higher Productivity Sites – Mechanism to Verify Performance – Landowner Engagement – Strong Support for Landowners through
increased, more consistent and more accessible funding
Progress to Date
• Program Funding – Sub-committee formed in May, 2013 – Main themes investigated
• Funding mechanisms and administration/delivery • Levies (Federation of Agriculture, Natural Products
Marketing Council) • Review of agencies, boards and commissions • Review of taxation issues
Progress to Date
• Collaboration with staff, Deputy Minister and Minister DNR (Spring 2013)
• Strategic plan to address silviculture issues presented by DNR (September, 2013)
• Ongoing work by committee to promote improvements in provincial silviculture programs
Current Focus
• Review of Registry of Buyers Program • Issues included:
– Accessibility for landowners (to program in general, and access to various elements of program)
– Landowner contribution to program – who pays? – Improving programs to better line up with
landowner objectives
Current Focus
• Developed proposal to recommend changes to the Forest Sustainability Regulations
• Proposed Objectives:
– Clarifying landowner contribution to silviculture program – Improving landowner control and administration of
silviculture programs – Improving access to the full diversity of silviculture
treatments within the Regulations – Investigating alternative delivery mechanisms for
implementing silviculture programs
Progress & Next Steps
• Next Steps: – Present to Minister of Natural Resources and
senior staff – Start process of discussions with DNR and Industry
to change the Regulations – Engage more broadly
Next Steps
• Broader Engagement with Landowners
– Initial presentations at the 2014 Woodland Conferences.
– Progress updates on developments through the landowner organizations involved in this process.
– Consultations on any proposed changes to regulations, landowner programs, or landowner administrative structures.
Questions, Comments