Jobs not lost to new areas of protected forest lands.

There has been a lot of discussion recently about a pending wood supply shortage and the impact that may have on jobs in northern Ontario communities. The urgency for finding solutions is understandable, particularly given that some communities have been hit hard with job losses over the past couple of years. The softwood lumber dispute, the rising Canadian dollar and increased mechanization have all contributed to these layoffs. And, according to recent reports, weather and road conditions have also led to temporary shutdowns due to wood delivery difficulties.

However, the jobs have not been lost as a result of the establishment of new protected areas or implementation of guidelines to protect the environment. In 2002, the Ontario Forest Accord Advisory Board, with representatives from the forest industry, conservation groups and provincial government, determined that the forest industry had been fully mitigated for any wood supply losses resulting from the establishment of new parks and protected areas created under Ontario's Living Legacy program. In addition, the amount of wood harvested in Ontario each year has actually been increasing over the past 10 years, at the same time that new conservation guidelines were put in place.

Far from being the cause of the problems, measures to build a sustainable forest industry can lead to more stable and sustainable communities. Some forestry companies have realized that rolling back guidelines and opening parks to industrial activity isn't the answer. In fact, setting aside some critical ecological areas for protection, adopting better harvesting methods and responding to growing customer demand for better environmental performance has come to make good business sense. These changes can actually benefit communities and workers: Companies taking these steps are likely to get a bigger piece of the market, will help protect healthy forests for future harvesting and will be the ones with reputations as leading-edge suppliers in a highly competitive marketplace.

Value-added production has been promoted as one possible piece of the solution. This makes sense: finding ways to employ more people with fewer trees harvested, thus keeping a greater share of the economic benefits within communities. In addition to value-added industries, there are non-timber-based forms of economic development that could lead to more stable and sustainable communities. Resource-based tourism which relies on access to lakes with plentiful fish, rich forests with healthy wildlife and the sense of wilderness-makes a substantial contribution to Ontario's economy. It is a $1.2 billion industry in northwestern Ontario alone and provides nearly 10,000 jobs.

By working together-communities, industry, conservation organizations, governments and citizens-we can develop more economically and environmentally sustainable approaches that will promote healthy forests and communities now and in the future.

From Gillian McEachern, director, forests program, CPAWS-Wildlands League

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