Natural Resources Committee on Sept. 25th, 2018

[Chris Ward]

I started off with the fact that our forest is mixed in many conditions, and the fate of softwood certainly impacts the fate of other species in the stand and the other industries. Reduced harvesting capacity in the future, if the forest were impacted, would affect other hardwood users. The ability to produce timber on some land bases allows us not to produce timber on other land bases and to do things like maple. Certainly the forest is connected, and all species are important to manage.

[TJ Harvey, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Perfect.

Go ahead, Chris.

[Chris Norfolk]

If I could add to the response there, we also understand that old forests are particularly important in New Brunswick in an area where, as my colleague said, 50% of our forests are balsam fir and spruce species, and we understand that many elements of our biodiversity depend on old forests. The spruce budworm doesn't recognize boundaries between forests managed primarily for timber production and forests managed for conservation. That can also place indirect pressures on the industry being able to compensate for losses in other areas.

[TJ Harvey, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Perfect. Thank you, Chris.

Mr. Anderson, you touched earlier on the gypsy moth. Of course, in Atlantic Canada we have a very strong Christmas tree industry. That sector is trying to grow and diversify. One thing I have noticed—and I've had conversations with a large group of Christmas tree producers—is that they're always looking to value-add to their industry in Atlantic Canada.

One thing they have struggled with is phytosanitary requirements for gypsy moth. Of course, you manage the entire woodlot and you approve or disapprove a woodlot, but when it comes time to ship a Christmas tree, if you ship one single Christmas tree, that takes a phytosanitary certificate, which has a cost attached to it. That's far more significant than shipping a whole load of Christmas trees. I'm wondering if there is anything that can be done to recognize the lost revenue to the Atlantic Canadian provinces that this causes, and possibly whether there's a way we could streamline that process to make it more commercially viable for our producers.

[William Anderson]

I certainly think there are opportunities. We're working with our U.S. counterparts and other countries to which we'd be exporting, to see what they're open to. We hope to take a more systemic approach, as I mentioned earlier, not single phytosanitaries for single trees. It's not the most practical approach.

[TJ Harvey, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Right.

[William Anderson]

We are in discussions. We have regular meetings through our North American Plant Protection Organization. We set an agenda, and we put in priorities. We have talked about these issues in the past. I think there's a willingness to discuss these issues and new approaches. I don't have anything definitive to share with you right now, though. This is something we do talk about with respect to facilitating trade.

[TJ Harvey, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

Thanks, Mr. Harvey.

Mr. Schmale, it's back to you.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Thank you very much.

I'm not sure who mentioned it earlier; I think it was Mr. MacFarlane. We were talking about what happens when an infestation is discovered. If I remember correctly, it's roughly about five years before it spreads and the trees are completely destroyed. Am I recalling this correctly?

[Derek MacFarlane]

Are you talking about the spruce budworm in particular?

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Yes.

[Derek MacFarlane]

It varies by insect, but if you're talking about the spruce budworm, four to five years of continuous defoliation would definitely kill trees.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Okay. If an infestation is discovered, you have about five years. Would there be a role somewhere for a private sector partner to say, “Okay, there's an infestation. We have about five years. Let's get in there quickly, get what we need, and help control it that way”?

[Derek MacFarlane]

Yes, and my provincial colleagues are probably better placed to answer that. Certainly, changes in terms of harvest scheduling and that type of thing would be an option.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Okay, maybe I'll ask our friends from New Brunswick.

[Chris Ward]

Yes, as I said earlier, the industrial capacity we have in terms of the mills in the province and the value chain they've built are quite closely tied to the wood supply, in terms of the species or products that are harvested and consumed. Adjusting your harvest schedule is certainly possible, as long as it still matches the industrial consumption. If not, then there has to be some adjustment on one or both of those ends.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Right. I know it's from New Brunswick only, and it's hard to comment on other provinces, but do you know how many agreements there are, or whether there are partnerships growing at this point?

[Chris Ward]

You might hand that to our federal colleagues.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. MacFarlane, it's hard for them to comment outside of New Brunswick, but are there any other provinces you are aware of where there are partnerships within provincial entities working with the private sector to start clearing areas that have been infested?

[Derek MacFarlane]

Oh, for sure. Jean-Luc is from Quebec, and he could speak to that. I know that in Alberta they have changed their harvesting regime to try to capture as much of the timber infected by the alpine beetle as they can.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Right. You would probably rate that as one of the tools in your tool box to combat such an infestation.

[Derek MacFarlane]

Absolutely, yes.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

I'm hoping someone might be able to provide direction in terms of national parks. If an infestation happens in a national park, there isn't the opportunity to have a private sector company come in and start harvesting that lumber. Is that correct?

[Derek MacFarlane]

You'd have to ask Parks Canada. We help monitor pests and pest infestations in parks, but they would develop their own strategies in terms of how they manage the forested lands in those parks.