Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to all witnesses.
As a note to our friends from Elk Lake, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources was here, and she mentioned that she had very few details on the billion-dollar fund for forestry, so you aren't the only ones who are looking for more information.
I'll direct my first question to you. I'll give my questions first and then anybody can take a shot at them if they'd like.
For reforestation in Ontario, in particular over the past five years, we're looking at 650 million trees, about 130 million trees a year. You had 16 projects in your own study area. I'm wondering, knowing that all forested areas have to be regenerated, what more can we do in terms of sustainability.
Mr. Gray, forty years ago there were about eight white pelicans left on Lake of the Woods, the cormorants were disappearing all over the place, and you could count on your hand the number of bald eagles in northwestern Ontario, or peregrines or ospreys. Many of those species have made a comeback--even cougars, mountain lions, and now we're looking at woodland caribou as being the defining species. When a species recovers, is taken off lists, how can government be flexible in terms of adapting this so that we can essentially put lands back into production?
My third question, for the other two groups, is are you familiar with the term “biofibre” and its rapid ascent as the hope for the future for the forest products industry?
Your Worship, please.