Governance as a driver of change in Canada`s boreal zone «It`s incredible the impact that the rest of us are having on the delta,» said Gord Vaadeland, CBFA planner and executive director of the Saskatchewan Chapter of the Canada Parks and Wilderness Corporation (CPAWS). «It`s similar to the Colorado River when you look at the cumulative effects,» foresttalk.com/index.php/2012/05/16/the-canadian-boreal-forest-agreement-what-was-that-again/. Changing economic realities and growing public and market concerns about environmental issues have created challenges and opportunities for Canada`s forest industry and environmental organizations. These challenges have resulted in a unique collaboration between 21 major Canadian forest products companies and nine leading environmental organizations. It is considered the largest conservation agreement in history and covers more than 76 million hectares of public forest. Essentially, it is a peace agreement between the timber industry and environmental groups that have been at war for decades. Canfor also participates in national working groups, including Goal 1 on forest practices, which recently reached an important milestone by agreeing on an approach to implement the natural range of variations. «To create effective land use plans, you need to look at the big picture,» says John Daisley, Weyerhaeuser`s cbFA planning officer. The CBFA offers this broader picture view, he adds, because it views the entire boreal landscape as an interconnected system. But Greenpeace spokeswoman Stephanie Goodwin said her group had evidence that Resolute Forest Products, formerly known as AbitibiBowater, was not following the deal — a clear sign that the deal isn`t working. Hubert said these types of disputes are all part of crafting an agreement that has never been tried before, and that there will inevitably be frustrations. The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (PDAC) is a multi-year cooperation agreement signed in 2010 by major Canadian forest companies from the Canadian Forest Products Association (FPAC) and environmental groups.
The agreement commits signatories to achieving strategic objectives that take into account both environmental and economic sustainability in the boreal forest. The geographic scope of the agreement covers more than 72 million hectares of boreal forest across Canada. The delta and surrounding area in eastern Saskatchewan is one of the many priority planning areas of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CASA) – an ambitious pact signed in 2010 by six environmental groups and 18 forest companies, all of which are members of the Forest Products Association of Canada. Janet Sumner, executive director of the Canada Parks and Wilderness Corporation and a member of the steering committee for the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, said she does not share the assessment of Canopy, ForestEthics and Greenpeace. «We are at the penultimate moment of planning in many parts of the country.» Sumner said there are only a few weeks left to make arrangements to protect the forests and caribou areas of Quebec`s Lac St-Jean region and northwestern Ontario. These agreements would then be shared with First Nations groups and governments for their input. When forest products were boycotted, challenges and opportunities arose for industry and environmental groups. Ultimately, this led to a deal that would guarantee the suspension of forestry on 29 million hectares of boreal forest and, in return, a commitment to end the boycott. During this period, discussions and collaborations took place in the context of woodland caribou action plans and ecosystem-based management strategies that could be introduced to ensure sustainable forest management. 3. Accelerated plans for the protection of threatened boreal forest species, in particular the forest caribus. Canfor employees are actively involved in CBFA activities in Alberta and British Columbia.
The current work plan focuses on a region in west-central Alberta that includes part of our Grande Prairie forest management area, as well as a project to establish the scope of all mountain and boreal caribou initiatives in British Columbia. «Resolute claims it`s within the limits of the deal, Greenpeace says it`s not,» Hubert said in an interview with CBC News. «Greenpeace should come back to the table and work with the process.» «It`s a complex agreement, but there is now a facilitator who works with all parties and settles disputes,» Hubert said, although he agrees that Greenpeace has a point on delays. This «comprehensive» approach to spatial planning, which aims to meet the so-called twin pillars of the environmental and economic sustainability agreement, is always complex and challenging. But in the delta, it`s even more. Industrial activity throughout the Saskatchewan River watershed has accelerated over the past 50 years, radically altering delta flow patterns and decimating local fish and muskrat populations. As the growing effects of climate change threaten to make these problems even more complicated, mountain glaciers are shrinking and the snowmelt that replenishes the delta is becoming scarcer. Companies have agreed to halt deforestation in certain areas, including areas valuable to caribou habitat, while environmental groups have agreed to back down in their protests and campaigns against deforestation. The groups agreed to work together on the details of how to reserve valuable habitat for conservation, while forestry companies can continue to harvest in other areas. The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement is a major step in the right direction towards long-term sustainable management of our vital boreal forest ecosystems. In addition to ecological achievements, much work and progress has been made with the communities that live and work in the region and are economically dependent on forestry.
To create their proposals for the delta and other regions across the country, ACAB planners are using a new approach: instead of simply protecting everything left after the industry has changed the landscape, they put conservation first. This means the decommissioning of large protected areas to ensure a healthy ecosystem in the long term and at the same time ensure sustainable resource extraction on the remaining lands. Planners focus on caribou, which depend on vast intact landscapes with enough old-growth forests, as this protects other species that depend on the same ecosystems. The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBAA) is a landmark agreement signed in 2010 with the Canadian Forest Products Association (FPAC) and its member companies, as well as with various environmental groups. It is a multi-year collaborative agreement to achieve the objectives of environmental and economic sustainability in the boreal forest. The agreement, which involves 21 major Canadian forest companies and nine leading environmental organizations (including the OLAC), covers more than 72 million hectares of public forests in Canada`s boreal forest. Woodland caribou have been an important topic of discussion and the strategies implemented have been implemented with some success. A caribou action planning framework has been developed that includes the identification of critical habitat throughout the Boreal. Mark Hubert, Vice-President of Environmental Leadership at the Forest Products Association of Canada, said: «This is a complex agreement, but we are making progress. Do we want to be able to go faster? Absolutely, but.. There is an extraordinary amount of work on both sides to make sure we reach the finish line, so to speak.
2. Accelerate the completion of the boreal forest network of protected areas. The different voices and the exchange of unique ideas have led to the development of cutting-edge global practices for adaptation and mitigation in forest management, biomass harvesting and forest carbon balancing. At 10,000 acres, it is the largest inland delta in North America and the most important habitat for diverse wildlife, including one of the continent`s most important regions for migratory birds. It`s also part of Canada`s vast boreal forest, an ecosystem that stretches across the continent and absorbs so many carbon emissions that it`s called the planet`s northern lung. .