Recommended Rules for sustaining forests in the Acadian Forest Region

The following rules are recommended to sustain the forests of the Acadian Forest Region.

1. Use the township or sub-watershed scale
2. Maintain all forest types within a certain percentage (may not be needed for intolerant hardwoods such as poplar, white birch, and red maple)
3. Require sustainable even-flow of wood, harvest, habitat (balanced forest age class structure)
4. Five-year average annual harvest volume < five-year average growth
5. Protect riparian cedar and tolerant hardwoods (light partial cut only)
6. Impose a minimum post-harvest basal area for tolerant hardwood stands
7. Limit allowable % of land in plantations
8. Road right-of-ways and maximum area in roads
9. Require pre-commercial thinning for optimize future stand development (balance with snowshoe hare, and related Lynx, habitat.
10. Designate one area per township representing at least 15% of the township that will be managed on a longer rotation to support wildlife associated with mature forest condition

An Organization to help sustain the Upper St. John River Watershed Area »