Forest Management Planning Junior Forester Perspective

1. Forest Management PlanningJunior Forester Perspective Ken VanEvery, R.P.F. 10 March 2004

2. Who I am. • Lakehead Grad - HBScF (1998) • KBM Forestry Consultants (1998-2002) • 2001 Black Sturgeon Forest Management Plan • Currently self-employed as a Consultant • Contract with Forestry Futures Committee

3. History • Started on the Black Sturgeon FMP in December 1999 • Laird asked me to attend a Black Sturgeon Planning Team meeting in December, he happened to be away at the time • Slowly began to dawn on me that I had a larger role in this than I had been lead to believe (my first though “Cool!” immediately followed by “Crap”) • Had heard horror stories from other plan authors • Saw it as a great learning experience

4. What did I do? • My Contribution (not plan Author but I wrote most of it) Black Sturgeon Forest 2001-2021 Forest Management Plan Bowater Pulp and Paper Canada Inc. “Committed to Sustainable Forest Management” I have contributed to the production of this Forest Management Plan as a consultant in plan production. I have assisted in preparation of this plan to the best of my professional skill and judgement in accordance with the requirements of the Forest Management Planning Manual (Sept., 1996), using the best available information. Ken VanEvery, R.P.F., Forestry Consultant Signature ________________ Date:_______________________

5. Notable Items • Inventory – FRI and Values Mapping • New Forest landbase - additions • First Plan written for this forest that followed the new Forest Management Planning Manual • 3 different Plan Authors • SFMM inconsistencies • Marten Core Areas • 50,000 ha Forest Fire

6. Inventory • FRI • Bowater had commissioned a new Inventory • Not completed until after the 1st Information Centre • Start with old Inventory • Use New after the 1st Information Centre • Land base changes • Values Maps • Constantly changing due to problems with NRVIS • Problem right from the start • Was not corrected by final plan submission • Had to plan first Amendment before the plan was even finished

7. New Forest landbase - additions • Ownership boundaries incorrect • Caribou Parcel • Fell into Caribou Guidelines • Not large enough to manage for Caribou • Already largely harvested • Major watercrossing issue • McIntyre Peninsula • Affected by OLL • Lake Nipigon Advisory Committee very interested

8. Wabanash River

9. Forest Management Planning Manual • First Plan written for this forest that followed the new Forest Management Planning Manual. • Old plan was of limited use since it was written to old Timber Management Planning Manual requirements • Used other FMP’s from other Forests that Bowater managed, though we could just transfer some of the same ideas over to the Black Sturgeon Plan – WRONG – new MNR players with different expectations • Fight right from developing the TOR through setting plan objectives and silvicultural ground rules

10. Plan Authors • 3 different Plan Authors • 1st Author – very confrontational with MNR • 2nd Author – not and RPF, operations Forester • 3rd Author – new Company employee, with limited plan writing experience but good people skills, no Company baggage • Final Plan author arrived just as the draft FMP was being completed

11. SFMM • SFMM completed by Company Analyst • 1st plan where analyst worked on their own • Very good at increasing woodsupply • Not so good at ensuring all indicators of sustainability were within acceptable bounds • SFMM modeling is one area that the plan author needs to be in full control • Requires experience or forester perspective to realize trade-offs and achievement of indicators of sustainability

12. Marten Core Areas • Due to fragmented forest condition the Marten Guideline requirements could not be met. • Even with no harvest the minimum requirements could not be met. • Requirements - 10-20% of forest in suitable conditions, arrange in core habitat areas 30 to 50 km2 in size and 75% of core should be comprised of suitable stands • What we got – 8% in Cores, with 50% suitable, some less than 3000 ha

13. Marten Core Areas • Final Cores established through an iterative process • Operations Forester and MNR Bio negotiated • Base run showed that with no harvest the forest could not reach requirements • Increase number of Cores and configuration until an agreeable number of cores and harvest volume was realized • Complex and time consuming process

14. Forest Fire • 50,000 ha Forest Fire in Spring 2000 • Significant changes to allocations • Area burned was to be harvested over next 10 years • Shift focus of plan from Spruce Budworm salvage to fire salvage • Wrote minor amendment to allow fire salvage within 1996-2001 period

15. Summary • Learned a lot – MNRs FMP training program is quite good • People and negotiation skills are essential • Expect to put in long hours – following draft plan submission I had 12 weeks of overtime • Good experience to do at least once • More than once if a real masochist.