Boreal Caribou Natural resource development Peatlands Wolverines

Input on the review of Ontario’s Forest Management Guide for Boreal Landscapes - April 2024

Palmer, L., Harris, L., Hohnen, R., O'Connor, C., Ray, J. & Scrafford, M.

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Remarks to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry regarding the review of Ontario’s Boreal Landscape Guide

Key points

The BLG should:

• appropriately consider old growth forests as a crucial element of ecological integrity;
• identify and prioritize high-integrity forests for protection, notably where they encompass old growth;
• address forest degradation by applying a rigorous definition and assessment using appropriate criteria and indicators that identify the condition of biodiversity and degradation of forest soils and soil function, carbon stores and sinks, and impacts on groundwater and surface waters;
• incorporate a strategic approach to roads planning in forest management, and address deforestation where it results from roads and other logging impacts that permanently (or for indefinite periods) remove forests;
• effectively protect critical habitat under the "Amended Recovery Strategy for Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), , Boreal Population, in Canada 2020";
• support modeling efforts to identify habitat indicators that are shared between wolverines and caribou, as well as those that are unique to wolverines, then incorporate wolverine-specific indicators;
• clearly identify and consider areas with co-occurrence of high biodiversity and carbon sequestration and storage value and prioritize these areas for conservation and protection;
• include explicit recognition of UNDRIP and a commitment that it will be upheld and implemented.

Abstract

We provide these comments in our capacities as Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada scientists, leading research and policy development related to forest species and ecosystems to inform conservation policies and land use decisions. Our expertise relevant to biodiversity conservation is related to forest and land use planning, impact assessment, and conservation and scientific research focused on several species at risk, forest and peatlands ecosystems, cumulative impacts, and climate change. We are affiliated with global WCS programs in more than 60 countries and active at the science policy interface in Canada and internationally. We have published papers in the peer reviewed literature directly relevant to this subject. Our comments focus on both the process for reviewing the guide as well as key issues and recommendations we have identified for the guide’s enhancement.

Recommended citation

Palmer, L., Harris, L., Hohnen, R., O'Connor, C., Ray, J. & Scrafford, M. (2024). Input on the review of Ontario’s Forest Management Guide for Boreal Landscapes - April 2024. WCS Canada. https://wcscanada.org/resources/input-on-the-review-of-ontarios-forest-management-guide-for-boreal-landscapes-april-2024/