Fighting forest fires with foresight: foresters say a solid forest plan should mitigate losses from fire, but they aren't in a rush to change the channel when the Weather Network is on.

As Northern Ontario experiences some of the hottest temperatures on record, forest companies have their ears peeled to the regional weather reports from Environment Canada, hoping for rain.

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"Every morning everyone gets up and checks the weather to see what happened the night before," says Rick Groves, chief forester for Tembec Forest Resource Management Group.

Conditions change so quickly companies have to ensure they are ready to move in or out of the forest expeditiously, so contingency plans are made for operating in hot zones.

"(Nationally) fires probably harvest more wood on the annual basis than we harvest," he says.

In June, Buchanan Forest Products workers tried to save up to 10,000 chords destined for the Longlac and Nakina lumber mill before a fire engulfed the logs, a skidder and a parts trailer in a remote area northeast of Lake Nipigon.

"We lost a significant area that was planned for harvest ... it will harm our operations to a certain degree," Hartley Multimaki, vice-president of planning and development for Buchanan Forest Products, says.

But even when a fire sweeps through a licensed area, companies can salvage portions of the fibre. Acting quickly crews can recoup the leftover standing and fallen trees and turn them into two-by-fours before an infestation of bugs and disease occurs.

Fires near Opishing Lake, located 50 kilometres west of Timmins on Highway 101, has been plaguing Tembec foresters.

"When you get these hot, dry conditions you can easily see large fires, particularly if the wind picks up," Groves says.

The actual loss of wood is not as significant as some people would think. When a forest management plan is drawn up, experts look at past incidences of fire and forecast what mother nature will harvest for the next five years.

"We assume we will lose some wood to fire every year," he says.

After a burn, new tree seedlings can sprout up, however, there are instances where companies have to step in and plant young trees to replenish the wood supply. In such cases the Forestry Futures Trust (FFT) can provide assistance, since they have an annual $10-million budget. The budget comes from fees taken from forestry companies or individual license holders.

"There is about 43 cents per cubic metre that goes into the trust fund from every cubic metre that is cut."

It is not a government fund but a trust, an independent committee appointed by the minister to make decisions on how the funds are to be used.

The organization has five members. Three are from Northern Ontario and three are registered professional foresters.

"It works something like an insurance policy," FFT acting chair Maureen Kershaw says.

"It makes sure that we reinvest back into the province."

The organization has never been in a situation where there are more applications than funds.

"Approximately 75 percent of applications are approved."

Unaccepted applications usually are a result of vagueness in the proposal or not meeting the organization's criteria.

"Applicants need to be specific in describing the treatment that they are going to do on the site," she says.

For instance, applicants must indicate what native Canadian tree species will be put back on the site, the equipment to be used and describe how they are preparing the site for planting including regrowth expectations. They also have to demonstrate a need for the wood supply.

The applicants must describe what they are going to do, in terms of treating that land to bring it back into production.

The trust can also be accessed when wind storms, insect infestations or past practices have harmed the forests or if organizations want to enhance the productivity of the land base.

www.ulern.on.ca/futuretrust.htm

By KELLY LOUISEIZE

Northern Ontario Business