June 1, 2009 The Daily Gleaner Tree cutting worries council Kyle Mullin The Conservation Council of New Brunswick says excessive cutting on Crown land may be putting rivers at risk. The council said the headwaters of the Jemseg, Canaan, Northwest Miramichi, Restigouche and the Nepisiguit rivers may face severe runoff if cutting isn't scaled back. "Forests play a critical role in regulating the flow of water over land, and in filtering that water so that our wetlands, rivers, and lakes run with clean water," said David Coon, executive director for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. "Without adequate forest cover, or with forests that are too young surrounding our rivers and lakes, water flow can fluctuate wildly, which means erosion, flooding, bank scouring, and fish habitat destruction." Megan de Graaf, forest and watersheds project co-ordinator for the Conservation Council, said 30 watersheds in New Brunswick may be at risk as a result of overcutting. She said replanting can't replace those lost older trees because younger forests lack the biomass in their trees and organic matter in their soil to maintain the quality and quantity of water in the surrounding rivers and lakes. "We know that under a changing climate these effects will only get worse. It's imperative that we conserve forests to protect our water sources as both healthy forests and clean water become more and more scarce," de Graaf said. "The Department of Natural Resources should perform a detailed analysis of watersheds in New Brunswick to identify those that should be prioritized for protection. We urge DNR to incorporate watershed-level planning into the 2012 forest management plans." Matt Jones, communications officer for the Department of Natural Resources in Fredericton, said he understands the Conservation Council's concerns. He said the department is taking every measure to maintain the province's ecosystems. He said DNR has examined 180 watersheds as of late and will analyze all remaining Crown land watersheds before harvest blocking is done for the 2012 forest management plan. He said so far none of the watersheds examined has exceeded the 50 per cent threshold for area of equivalent clear cut. "The areas we've examined meet the standards the Conservation Council's report referred to," he said. "We both have the same goals, although we have to balance that goal with the industry's interest. "But there'd be no industry without conservation, and we'll continue to work at maintaining both.