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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 White Paper and 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
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