The Rural Voice, 1995-06, Page 53Agro -forestry
Woodlot, sawmill
owners form Huron -
Perth association
About 80 woodlot owners and
sawmill operators attended a meeting
in Seaforth April 27 to form a Huron -
Perth chapter of the Ontario Woodlot
and Sawmill Operator's Association
(OWSOA).
Victor Rowland, chair of the
steering committee which organized
the meeting, said the idea for the
Huron -Perth Chapter grew out of a
meeting of woodlot owners
concerned about the declines in
service from the Ministry of Natural
Resources (MNR) brought about by
funding reductions. The group
worked with Marvin Smith, forester
with MNR's Wingham office to
organize the meeting.
Guest speaker was Bruce
Edmunds from the Kawartha chapter
of OWSOA who recalled getting
interested in the group after
purchasing a wooded property with a
lake on it, planning a country retreat
in Kawartha. After building a cottage
he turned to what to do with the
woodlot and sought advice. He heard
about the association and felt that a
group dedicated to the interest of
people involved in private land
woodlot ownership was his answer.
The association gained impetus
from the 1991 cancellation of the
rebate on forestry property, Edmunds
said. While most southwestern
Ontario woodlots are part of a farm
and therefore subject to the farm tax
rebate, woodlots in central and
eastern areas are more likely be free-
standing operations which have been
hurt by the loss of the rebate. Yearly
property tax on his property, for
instance, is $750 while he might
harvest the woodlot only every 15-20
years and be lucky to recover
$10,000. People want woodlots
because of aesthetics, wildlife habitat
and maintaining the water table but
"If municipalities want woodlots the
community has to meet us half -way,"
Edmunds said.
One of the challenges of OWSOA
is to increase public understanding of
woodlots and logging. "I believe with
all my heart when a tree is ready that
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