| |
|
|
Environment, Energy and Forestry
HOME /
FORESTS, FISH AND WILDLIFE DIVISION - PROGRAMS AND SERVICES /
New Forest Policy
Forest
Policy Discussion Paper:English
(Images
of front & back available for download)
(file size = 5 megs / download time = 15 min on dialup)
(La
version française)
(Images
of front & back available for download)
(file size = 5 megs / download time = 15 min on dialup)
A Message from Honourable
Jamie Ballem, Minister of Environment,
Energy and Forestry to the people of Prince Edward Island.
When people visit Prince Edward Island, they often comment on our well
kept landscape and its blend of red soil, blue bays and rivers, and rolling
hills. These natural assets are set against the dark green forests which
cover 45% of P.E.I.’s surface.
|
|
Unlike the rest of Canada where
government and industry own most of the forest, 88% of our forest is privately
owned and divided into thousands of small woodlots. Each woodlot has its
own unique history of use and management and each owner has his or her own
goals for their forest land. Public forests, which account for the remaining
12%, are managed for timber, parks, education, wildlife conservation, and
other uses.
|
Forest land, be it public or private,
provides employment and income for hundreds of Islanders and supplies the
timber, fuelwood, and other forest products we use in our daily lives.
|
| Forests also provide park lands for recreation,
camping, and solitude. They purify our water and air, and offer critical
wildlife habitat. Many Islanders visit forest lands to collect edible
berries and plants, harvest ground hemlock for use in pharmaceutical products,
or birdwatch.
Prince Edward Island is about to develop a new Forest Policy which will
guide Government’s efforts to support the use and conservation of this
natural resource. We are asking Islanders from all walks of life to provide
us with their hopes, concerns, and ideas on what this policy should contain
and endorse.
This Forest Policy web site contains the 1987
Forest Policy and copies of the Existing
Public & Stakeholder Resources which were used to develop the
Forest Policy Discussion Paper. The discussion paper was developed to
illustrate what Islanders have been saying about public and private forests
over the last decade. This website also provides a discussion forum where
forest owners, farmers, tree harvesters, tree planters, wildlife groups,
sawmillers, conservation groups, students, the public and others can share
their ideas and hopes for our public and private forests. You can offer
your ideas by sending an email
to the Public Forest Council, the group which will be hosting the
Island wide Forest Policy discussions. Finally, you can read or see the
presentations
and papers that interested Islanders have been submitting to the Public
Forest Council at the various meetings and debates.
By reading the materials contained on this site, and taking the time to
respond on-line, write a letter, or attend one of the public
meetings planned for the winter of 2005, you can help us to create
a blueprint which will serve our forests and the people who depend upon
them for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Hon Jamie
Ballem Minister
Minister
of Environment, Energy and Forestry Existing
Public & Stakeholder Resources |
|
|
|
