Fiona devastation not only challenge for P.E.I. forestry

P.E.I. forestry industry still works to rebuild The forestry industry in P.E.I. is still working to rebuild from the damage post-tropical storm Fiona did to the region in 2022.

The severe damage from hurricane Fiona is not the only challenge facing Prince Edward Island’s forestry industry.

Members of the PEI Forestry Commission appeared before the Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Thursday morning to speak on a yet to be released report into the state of island forestry.

The commission was made in response to the devastation of island forests in the wake of post-tropical storm Fiona.

“The watershed groups are doing a lot right now, and post Fiona it’s been a nightmare for all them because they’re going in to ground zero,” said Keila Miller, vice president of the PEI Wildlife Federation.

However, it discovered more serious issues with island forestry than just damage from the storm. They found the province’s forest enhancement policy not working, funding for the sector falling by almost two-thirds since the 1980s, and P.E.I.’s 16,000 woodlot owners lacking an effective lobbying organization.

Commission members say 125,000 green metric tonnes of wood went into hastily-established Fiona dump sites after the storm. They did not criticize the measure but said if a plan had been in place, it could have been used, for example, at the province’s biomass burning facilities.

“At least six years worth of wood to heat those 47 government buildings, and that’s just based on what was inventoried in March of last year, a lot has been deposited in those sites since then,” said Jean-Paul Arsenault, PEI Forestry Commission Chair.

Woodlot owners are facing severe challenges from Fiona. The wood that fell is now mostly dried out and, because harvester are paid by the tonne, the same volume of wood is now worth far less. In some cases it’s not even worth the cost to truck the wood to customers.

Moreover, high costs and overly restrictive policy make alternative harvesting methods uneconomical.

“You just can’t justify it, so it’s basically just go in and take everything that you possibly can,” said Matt Hughes, forest contractor. “Maximize your efficiency, maximize your dollar, and get out and get on to the next one.”

Woodlots aren’t insurable in the same way farms are and losses are harder to quantify, with the multi-year timelines common in tree harvesting operations. Hughes estimates owners could have lost nearly half the value of the downed wood, even if it’s sold.

The commission submitted their interim report to the Department of the Environment, Energy and Climate action last week and called on the minister to release that document as soon as possible. The final report is set to be released by the end of the year.

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