CCNB Action - Jim Irving, President of J.D. Irving Ltd., has been travelling the province seeking support from business audiences for keeping the wood allocations to mills at 2007 levels.  The problem, according to CCNB Action’s Executive Director David Coon, is the forest on Crown land has been overcut and can no longer sustain such high quotas.

“The amount of wood cut from Crown land in 2006-2007 was double what was cut in 1966-1967.  We have seen the amount of wood cut from Crown lands on a five-year average increase by roughly 80%  over the past 40 years from 2.7 million cubic metres per year in the late 1960’s to almost 5 million cubic metres in the past decade ,” said Coon.    “The bottom line is we have overcut the public forest so wood quotas have got to be reduced in 2012,” he said.  “The good news is private woodlot owners across this province have plenty of wood to sell that can make up the difference and create work at the same time,” said Coon.

Half of New Brunswick’s forest is found on Crown land, while 30% of the forest is owned by private woodlot owners.

Five Year Average    //    Volume of Wood Cut from Crown Land (millions of cubic metres)*
1967-1972                      2.7 million cubic metres
1972-1977                      3.7 million cubic metres
1977-1982                      3.1 million cubic metres
1982-1987                      3.5 million cubic metres
1987-1992                      4.4 million cubic metres
1992-1997                      4.4 million cubic metres
1997-2002                      4.9 million cubic metres
2002-2007                      8.0 million cubic metres

*Data from DNR’s Timber Utilization Survey

-30-

Contact:  David Coon, 458-8747