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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgriculture 2002, 2002-03-13, Page 13P.O. Box 140 Brussels, ON NOG 1H0 85491 Brussels Line McCall Livestock Order Buyers • Butchers • Feeders • Western Cattle - processing available Ross McCall Office/Res. (519) 887-9571 20 Maradon Drive Fax (519) 887-9171 Brussels Mobile (519) 357-5139 CONSTRUCTION LTD. R.R. 2 Bluevale • LICENSED SEPTIC INSTALLATIONS • SCREENED & FIELD TOPSOIL • BARK MULCH • SAND • GRAVEL • FILL • BACKHOEING • BULLDOZING • EXCAVATING • LOADING & HAULING Give us a call 887-9061 Fax 887-9999 FARM BUILDERS ASSOCIATION Vanden Heuvel Structures Ltd. COMMERCIAL AND AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS 40 Wellington St., Clinton, ON NOM 11,0 TELEPHONE 519-482-9666 FAX 519-482-8966 NISTEELWAY par.ENG,NEE•ED lksiDop syrreAs THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002. PAGE A-13. Agriculture 2002 Woodlot study not particularly promising Forests, woodlots and logs The question of natural areas versus logging is always contentious. A recent study under the auspices of the Maitland Valley Partnerships program indicates that area woodlots are often not being managed in a way which would allow owners to reap the full economic potential. (David Blaney photo) By David Blaney Citizen staff The state of Huron's forests and woodlots has come under review by both the Huron County planning department and the Maitland Valley Watershed Partnerships program during the last two years. What they found was not particularly promis- ing. Currently approximately 11 per cent of the county has forest cover. This is nine per cent less than coun- ty planners would like to see. The area encompassed by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) has approximately 15 per cent coverage. The terrestrial team of the partner- ships program also set out to discov- er whether forest cover alone can ensure the long-term health of the -natural area system. To do this they 'identified indicators of forest condi- tion, assessed the current health of natural forests and determined the effects of current logging practices on forest health. Their report states that 2,000 acres of natural vegetation has been lost since 1985. Over 75 per cent of this loss was due to clearing and drainage for agriculture. Aggregate extraction was the second major cause followed by housing development. In addition, all is not well with the wooded portions of the remaining natural areas. Less than half of Huron County's forest stands can be rated as good. Further, most forests in the county are not being managed for optimal economic benefits. This despite of the fact that Rick Steele, a planner for the MVCA claims; "If you currently have a stand of hardwood bush it will out- perform ordinary cropland economi- cally." Currently there are no accurate sta- tistics for the value of logging in Huron County. Phil Beard general manager of the MVCA said, "I would think logging is up dramati- cally in the last few years because prices have been relatively good." However, he was quick to add that he had no statistics - it was simply an educated opinion. According to, Steele, what is known is that forest cover in Huron is split approximately equally between hard- and softwood. It is also almost certain that the bulk of the logging activity takes place in hardwood stands. Both Beard and Steels suggested an exception to this probably occurred during the recent dry years when conditions allowed loggers to reach softwood stands usually inac- cessible due to ground conditions. The examination of logging sites in the county found that most had suffered damage in excess of provin- cial guidelines. More than half the sites had standing trees that had sus- tained large stem wounds during log- ging. Most sites experienced only one or two types of damage according to the report of the terrestrial team. However they found several poorly logged sites suffering multiple types of damage. With this information in hand the terrestrial team set a target of increasing the percentage of wood- the forestry industry to raise stan- dards and certification. Most cutting appears to be based solely on tree size, ignoring the benefits of selec- tive thinningbon general forest health and the long-term economic benefits it can impart. This Partnership also proposed establishing buffers along major watercourses in the Maitland water- shed. This would not only help link the forest patches but also improve water quality. It was felt landowners could be helped to access funding opportuni- ties to provide incentives to establish these buffer zones and retire fragile and marginal land. The Healthy Futures program was cited as a start- ing point. The team set a target of reducing the acreage of natural areas cleared due to drainage projects and land conversion by 50 per cent in five years. They would like to see the elimination of forest cover loss to housing development in five to 10 years. A great deal of research has been done and targets have been set. But as Beard said when discussing the implementation of specific projects, "The tech side is easy, the people side is hard." lots in good condition from 45 to 60 withiii 20 years. In conjunction with the county's tree cutting bylaw they advocated the use of a certified tree marker prior to logging. The team found there was a dis- tinct need to get landowners more involved in the preservation of natu- ral areas and the proper management of their forest resources. Beard explained, "One of the con- fusing issues for landowners is get- ting three or four streams of different information and having to ask them- selves who do I believe." He felt that the Partnerships' uni- fied approach could help alleviate the problem. They would also like to work with