News release

March 2, 2012

Forty-five Groups to Government: 

Don’t Sacrifice Conservation for Short-term Wood Supply

(Fredericton)  Forty-five environmental, wildlife and private woodlot groups have signed on to a statement telling government they do not want government to sacrifice long-standing conservation measures on Crown land to provide a temporary increase in wood  supply  for  the forest industry.  Additional wood sought by the industry can be readily supplied by the private woodlot owners of the province.

Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, NB Chapter, and chair of the Crown Lands Network of groups, said, “Tinkering with the current system, and turning back the clock on environmental protections established for good reasons over the last twenty years will not solve the problem, or result in a solution that has any broad-based support.”

“New Brunswick's forest conservation measures are considered by our own wildlife  biologists  and  forest  ecologists  to  be the bare minimum needed  to  avoid  local  animal and plant extinctions.  Any reduction from the status quo would be unacceptable, and not sustainable,” added Clowater.

DNR foresters have calculated that a 10% reduction in Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) is required to maintain a sustainable wood supply into the future.    The previous government was prepared to sacrifice long-standing wildlife habitat and conservation measures to limit the reduction in AAC to 5% for the next five years.   This is unacceptable to the signatories.

Based upon information released by the Private Lands Task force in early February, private woodlots clearly are producing enough wood to supply an increased demand.   The undersigned groups are asking the Minister of Natural Resources Bruce Northrup to support the conservation of our rivers, our wildlife, and our forest ecosystems by refusing to weaken the existing standards, and encourage industry to increase their purchases of wood from New Brunswick's private woodlot owners.

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Media Contacts:

Roberta Clowater, CPAWS New Brunswick, email cpawsnb@nb.sympatico.ca (please contact by email first), cell – 449-5106

 Jean-Louis Deveau, Friends of Mount Carleton Provincial Park, (bilingual interviews), cell - 442-1413, 459-2907

 John Lockerbie, Ruffed Grouse Society of Canada, 451-8996

Groups Endorsing the Statement for Conservation of Crown Lands

1. Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research
2. Atlantic Salmon Federation / Fédération du saumon de l'Atlantique
3. Campaign for Pesticide Reduction, Quispamsis
4. Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association, Cambridge-Narrows
5. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - New Brunswick Chapter / Société pour la nature et les parcs du Canada - Chapitre du N-B
6. Centre culturel et sportif de Cormier Village
7. Comité d'environnement de la Polyvalente W.-A.-Losier Tracadie-Sheila, Tracadie-Sheila
8. Comité d'intervention de la mine d'or Elmtree, Alcida
9. Comité VerTige, comité environnemental de l'École Mathieu-Martin, Dieppe
10. Community Forests International, Sackville
11. Conservation Council of New Brunswick Inc. / Conseil de conservation du Nouveau-Brunswick
12. Cornhill Area Residents Association
13. Eco-Action Mount Allison, Sackville
14. Environnement Vie, Balmoral
15. Falls Brook Centre, Knowlesville
16. Fredericton Fish and Game, Fredericton
17. Fredericton High School - Environmental Club
18. Friends of Mount Carleton Provincial Park Inc. / Les Ami(s) du Parc du Mont Carleton, Plaster Rock
19. Friends of Musquash
20. Friends of Rockwood Park, Saint John
21. Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station / Centre de recherche sur la vie marine de Grand Manan
22. Groupe de développement durable du Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group Inc.
23. Knowlesville Art and Nature Centre, Knowlesville
24. Meduxnekeag River Association, Woodstock
25. Nature Moncton
26. Nature NB
27. Nature Trust of New Brunswick / Fondation pour la protection des sites naturels du Nouveau-Brunswick
28. NB Federation of Woodlot Owners / Fédération des propriétaires de lots boisés du Nouveau-Brunswick
29. New Brunswick Community Land Trust / Société des Terres communautaires du N.-B.
30. New Brunswick Salmon Council / Conseil du saumon Nouveau-Brunswick
31. New Brunswick Wildlife Federation / Fédération de la Faune du Nouveau-Brunswick
32. Our Environment, Our Choice, Kent County
33. PANE, for a New Perspective on Energy / PANE, pour une nouvelle perspective sur l'énergie
34. Post Carbon Greater Moncton / Grand Moncton Post Carbone
35. Public for the Protection of the Forests of New Brunswick / Public pour la protection des forêts du Nouveau-Brunswick, Kent County
36. Quality of Life Initiative, Southfield
37. Ruffed Grouse Society of Canada
38. Rural Research Centre, Truro, NS
39. Saint John Chapter of the Council of Canadians, Saint John
40. Saint John Local of Cinema Politica, Saint John
41. Sentinelles Petitcodiac Riverkeepers
42. Sierra Club Canada - Atlantic Chapter / Sierra Club du Canada – Section du Canada Atlantique
43. STUdents for Sustainability, St. Thomas University, Fredericton
44. Sustainable Energy Group, Woodstock
45. Upper Miramichi Stewardship Alliance, Ludlow