Clearcutting near Springer Lake Proposed Ecological Reserve in Nopiming Provincial Park.
Clearcutting near Springer Lake Proposed Ecological Reserve in Nopiming Provincial Park.
Eco-Journal, v.17.1, January/February 2007
By Eric Reder, Western Canada Wilderness Committee
For over two decades, logging in provincial parks has been a controversial issue in Manitoba. As in many other jurisdictions, there are competing interests for public land, those being protection for social or environmental reasons, and industrial use such as resource extraction.
Public consultation and government reports have both shown support for protection of parks from logging. The January 2006 Summary of Public Comment Letter regarding Nopiming Provincial Park states that, overwhelmingly, citizens wanted better protection of parks. The 1993 Clean Environment Commission report recommended phasing logging out of parks. Unfortunately, the government so far has not had the fortitude to stand up to corporate interests and protect wilderness.
Manitobans are left wondering when there will be real, meaningful protection for provincial parks, for wild lands, for the environment? The hopeful answer is within the next few years, and here´s one reason why.
Tembec, a giant multinational corporation that has tenure over a section of Manitoba´s wilderness larger than the province of PEI, is attempting to gain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, awarded if they meet strict standards as responsible managers of public forests. Tembec is the logging company currently clearcutting Nopiming Provincial Park, as well as using wood cut from Whiteshell and Duck Mountain Provincial Parks.
Tembec agrees to FSC certification
In January 2001, Tembec´s national office signed an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund to have all their logging operations in Canada certified through the FSC. This certification is meant to indicate forests are being harvested in a sustainable and responsible way. An FSC logo on a product lets consumers know that the product is sourced from sustainable and responsible harvest practices. FSC certification is an ongoing process, so once an operation applies for their certification, they must continue to run their operation according to FSC standards. In many jurisdictions, including Manitoba, FSC standards are more stringent than provincial law. While FSC certification isn´t perfect, it is recognized as the best certification currently available in the world. Until robust laws protect our wilderness, FSC certification can be a stepping stone on the path towards preserving Manitoba´s forests.
One component of the FSC standard is that logging companies must work with citizens and non-government organizations toward permanently protecting areas of special interest in the logging certification area. Nopiming Provincial Park lies entirely within Tembec´s Forest Management License area (FML 01), which would suggest Tembec will move forward with protecting the park. The disappointing truth is that because the government doesn´t prohibit logging in the park, FSC doesn´t even recognize Nopiming as a park. That fact alone should send a message to government that the level of protection for our parks is inadequate.
These areas include Springer Lake Proposed Ecological Reserve, which is a tiny area of forest and wetland in Nopiming, nominated for protection due to large populations of rare Green and Mink frogs, and for its biodiversity. In one part of Tembec´s application for FSC certification, the company stated that the Springer Lake area would be left untouched until a decision on the proposal was made. Unfortunately Springer Lake also appears as clearcut block 2516A in Tembec´s 2006 Annual Operating Plan. At their recent Open House in Winnipeg, Tembec´s top forester Vince Keenan tried to argue away the glaring difference between their application to the FSC and their actual activity by somehow blaming the discrepancy on the government´s Conservation department.
Springer Lake is just one of many indications of Tembec´s blatant disregard for the public´s wishes. Tembec is also using a loophole in protection to log close to the Manigotagan River, an area that was celebrated as protected just two years ago. Most of the Manigotagan´s run into Lake Winnipeg is protected in the newly created Manigotagan River Provincial Park. The first five kilometers flowing out of Quesnel Lake, however, are located in Nopiming Provincial Park, where the government of Manitoba legally permits logging. Owl 02B and Owl 02C are Tembec´s reference numbers for their clearcuts along the Manigotagan. Proper forest stewardship would have dictated voluntary protection rather than putting this small area on the clearcutting block, but Tembec chose their usual path of disregard. In order to attain FSC certification Tembec should be forced to end their outrageous contempt for the wishes of Manitobans.
The Manitoba government has been complicit in the degradation of these areas, too, not raising objections to Tembec cuts. In fact, government approved the clearcuts for the 2006 harvest year. The delicate and fragile forests I´ve just mentioned may well already be lying in ruin, a barren waste in the provincial park for years to come.
What Tembec´s application for FSC certification should mean is that Tembec´s actions are held to a standard higher than the questionable provincial forestry laws. It remains to be seen whether the certification standards are tough enough. The ultimate goal is for government to pass laws that protect parks thoroughly. Manitobans should get involved by sending their opinion to the government, asking them to remove industrial activity from our provincial parks.
More information can be found on our website at wildernesscommittee.mb.ca