I am baffled by the NDP's recent opposition to
the Liberal's adopting a policy to procure 30% Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC)- certified paper.
The NDP contend (
www.gillesbisson.com) that the province is changing the rules at the
last minute, putting some forest companies at a disadvantage. I think
there are a number of factors (some have called it a "perfect
storm") that are affecting the existing industry and forcing us all
to rethink how we manage our publicly-owned forests in Ontario. Many
companies are leaving or closing mills in the face of a global
restructuring of the industry that includes a rising Canadian dollar,
cheaper and more efficient mills coming on line in the southern
hemisphere, declining demand for newsprint, plantations in warmer climes
that grow wood at 20 or more times the rate our boreal forests grow, the
softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. and declining demand in the U.S.
housing market, among others.
It gives me a little hope when I see the province stepping outside of its
usual tight relationship with the existing industry to support new
initiatives, like the adoption of FSC standards. It's about time. We have
been tied into a system that leaves us dependent on the whims of large,
mainly foreign-owned companies. Those companies have operated with the
blessing of provincial governments of all political stripes to take timber
from publicly-owned lands, secured through long-term, large area,
evergreen licences, export the timber they harvest in semi-processed form,
with over 80% going to the U.S., without ensuring that people in
resource-dependent communities (both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) have a
say in the management or direction of the industry.
I have been involved in the development of both the Canadian Standards
Association and FSC standards. FSC standards are a step above the CSA and
SFI (supported and developed by the American Forest and Paper Assoc.)
standards, particularly on social issues. FSC standards call for companies
to negotiate agreements with Aboriginal communities to provide a fair
share of benefits from resource development and to protect traditional
Aboriginal values. FSC standards are designed to "maintain or enhance
the long-term social and economic wellbeing of forest workers and local
communities." FSC standards also call for "the efficient use of
the forest's multiple products and services to ensure economic viability
and a wide range of environmental and social benefits."
I think we should focus on making sure that FSC standards are widely
adopted and, more importantly, effectively implemented. I hope that all
forest companies operating in Ontario will consider adopting FSC
standards.
Dr. M.A. (Peggy) Smith, R.P.F.
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Forestry & the Forest Environment
Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
PH: 807-343-8672; FAX: 343-8116
email: pasmith@lakeheadu.ca
website: http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~psmith/index
