N.B. industry to resume some operations on Crown land

Some forestry businesses are allowed to resume work as wildfires burn across New Brunswick.

Some businesses will be permitted to re-enter New Brunswick’s Crown lands to resume operations under strict conditions.

Earlier this month the government implemented a burn ban for the entire province and closed all Crown lands. As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 28 active wildfires burning in the province, five of which are deemed out of control.

Each business will now require a permit to operate, and must follow all rules regarding location of work, operating hours and conditions, as well as enhance fire safety measures. One example provided by the province in a news release says tree cutting will only be allowed between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.

No activity will be allowed in any active fire zone.

“While our top priority continues to be safety, we recognize the need to support the return of operations by industry on Crown lands,” said Natural Resources Minister John Herron in the news release.

“Many New Brunswick businesses rely on our Crown forests. These firms employ many New Brunswickers. We have struck the right balance between assisting these companies and protecting our forests. Starting today, specific industry activities – with appropriate conditions to mitigate fire and safety risks – will be permitted to operate. This will ensure certain industries will not face a full shutdown.”

While industry will resume some operations, restrictions on all other activities remain on Crown lands. That includes all recreational activities such as campfires and the use of all-terrain vehicles.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Herron said roughly 2,500 hectares of land have been lost, or are at risk, which translates to about $4 million in royalty revenue.

He said timber would represent about $10.5 million in direct and indirect tax revenue to the government from the forest sector value chain.

“That timber would represent roughly $42.5 million in lumber revenue to sawmills and overall, from a GDP perspective, it would be about $77.5 million,” said Herron, noting those figures are on the higher end as they assume every hectare is comprised of merchantable wood.

The news to resume activities is welcomed by woodlot owners in the province.

President of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners Rick Doucett says the past few weeks have been very challenging for the forestry sector. “We just sort of got up off the floor from a punch in the face with the new anti-dumping fees,” says Doucett. “And we got punched in the face again with our weather conditions that are making things that are inoperable for us.”

“Basically we live in a world where no production, no pay, and there’s no provision to try to help people bridge that gap.”

He notes some private woodlots owners did sustain damage to their property from recent fires in the province. With the allowed resumption of work in the woods, woodlot owners will once again be able to supply mills with timber. Some mills in the province were running low on wood according to Herron.

While the shutdown was challenging, Doucett says those who own woodlots understand and support the decision for a brief halt of operations.

“I own 500 acres of woodland in this province, and it’s not insured,” he notes. “That’s like having your bank account out there and then having somebody set it on fire. So, it’s a big financial risk to woodland owners to have anything happen and there are no provisions for forest fires.”

Once the fires fizzle out in the province, Doucett would like to see the province reevaluate its forest plan. He says the last time the plan was looked at was back in 2014.

With files from CTV’s Andrea Jerrett.

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