The Acadian forest, characterized by its mixture of leafy hardwoods and evergreens, make it a remarkable sight of colours to behold in the fall. But beyond the beauty strip found along New Brunswick’s highways are increasingly more ugly clearcuts or sad remnants of what our Acadian forest used to be.

The Acadian forest is now one of the most endangered forest types in North America according to a recent World Wildlife Fund study. The Acadian forest of New Brunswick is being lost at a rate of 1 per cent every year to clearcutting. The area of Crown land in the province containing mature Acadian forest has already dropped below 45 per cent. If the current harvesting rates continue, only 12 per cent of mature Acadian forest will remain on New Brunswick Crown land by 2025.

It is the duty of the Provincial Government of New Brunswick to hold our Acadian forest in trust for current and future generations. Thirteen public hearings across the province ended with clear recommendations in 2004 that the area of clearcut be cut by 10 to 15 per cent by 2007.

WHY WRITING TODAY IS IMPORTANT?

The provincial government is set to release its 2007-2012 Crown Forest Management Plan. Meanwhile, the six companies holding licenses to log on our Crown lands are awaiting government approval of their proposed five year harvesting plans. Despite the imminent release and approval of these plans, the Government has yet to publicly announce the amount and method that clearcutting will be reduced.

SUGGESTED POINTS & DEMANDS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR LETTERS:

1. More socially, economically and environmentally responsible means of forest harvesting exist. It is long overdue that the government of New Brunswick move away from clearcutting and towards a management scheme that protects the diversity and integrity of the Acadian forest. Lower impact selection cutting, for example, would better conserve the Acadian forest and provide a more diversified potential for job creation and economic development.



2. The province’s biodiversity standard must immediately increase to current science-based recommendations in order to protect species from habitat loss. Canada is a signatory to the U.N. Convention on Biodiversity. Thus, we are obligated to significantly reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Recent studies done by University of New Brunswick researchers show that the current provincial biodiversity standard needs to triple from 12 per cent to 35 to 40 per cent depending on the type of forest stand.



3. The Crown lands’ licensing system must be overhauled so that it supports lower impact, community-based forestry initiatives on Crown land. Such initiatives would employ more New Brunswickers in the forest while at the same time protect the habitats of Acadian forest species.

SEND A LETTER

Send a letter to New Brunswick’s newly elected Premier and Minister of Natural Resources today and let them know you care about the Acadian forest. Copy your MLA on the letter. A quick letter to the newspaper is another way to let others know about the Acadian forest and your concerns for its conservation.