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