Operational and administrative policies direct ministry staff in their day-to-day work and can apply to MNR’s business partners involved in administering ministry programs. They support quality, consistency and accountability in the application of ministry programs and services.
Operational and administrative policies are stipulated in a broad range of policy instruments, including: manuals (some approved under regulation), directives, procedures, guidelines, technical standards and bulletins. Where consistency is essential, these policies outline precise requirements and procedures. If there is more room for discretion, the policies may provide recommended best practices.
Operational Policy:
Ontario's Regulated Manuals:
Forest Management Guides:
Administrative Policy:
Orders in Council:
Directives and Procedures
Operational Policy
MNR provides forest management related operational policy directions in the Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) and its regulations; manuals approved under CFSA regulations; and, forest management guides. These requirements cover a variety of matters pertaining to the harvest, renewal and maintenance of Crown forests in management units and guide the actions of anyone operating in a Crown forest.
Manuals approved under Crown Forest Sustainability Act regulations
The manuals approved under CFSA regulations establish how forest policies, programs and related activities are to be planned and delivered on the ground; guide various aspects of forest information and information management, forest management planning and operations on Crown forest lands; and, define the responsibility of government officials and business partners and basic fixed and managerial arrangements regarding forest management on Crown forest lands. They are updated on a regular basis to reflect changes in policy, legal requirements and business arrangements; and, improvements in science, information and/or techniques or technology.
- The Forest Management Planning Manual (approved under Ontario Regulation 159/04) provides direction for all aspects of forest management planning for management units designated under the CFSA in the Area of the Undertaking. The Area of the Undertaking and the Whitefeather Forest. The Area of the Undertaking is defined in the MNR Class Environmental Assessment for Timber Management on Crown Lands in Ontario; the predecessor of Declaration Order MNR-71. Environmental Assessment Act approval for the Whitefeather Forest is provided by Declaration order MNR-74. The Forest Management Planning Manual also provides direction for annual operations, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of forest management operations.
- The Forest Information Manual (approved under Ontario Regulation 184/07) identifies the requirements for the provision of information about forest management planning on Crown lands in Ontario between the MNR and Ontario’s forest industry.
- The Scaling Manual (approved under Ontario Regulation 183/07) provides standard instructions for determining the quantity, quality and movement of Crown timber harvested in Ontario, as authorized under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act; and, defines standards for the training, licensing and approval of scalers and scaling auditors in the province.
- The Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual (amended under Ontario Regulation 283/00) is a compendium of guidance and direction for the conduct of operations authorized by approved forest management plans. It provides for the qualifications for persons engaged in forest operations as well as measures for assessing the performance of forest operations. The Forest Operation and Silviculture Manual also describes the forest management guides that are required for forest management planning and implementation activities.
Forest management guides
Forest management guides provide direction on acceptable forest management practices. These practices include the creation of landscape patterns, silviculture, the construction of roads and water crossings, and the protection of fish and wildlife habitat needs as well as other values. The information provided includes standards, guidelines and best management practices. A revision of a number of guides has been completed in order to consolidate them into a suite of five guides:
- Forest Management Guide for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Landscapes (guide for the boreal forest yet to be released)
- Forest Management Guide for Conserving Biodiversity at the Stand and Site Scales
- Silvicultural Guides
- Management Guidelines for Forestry and Resource-Based Tourism
- Forest Management Guide for Cultural Heritage Values
More general information about the guides including links to the individual guides and the Status Summary of the Forest Management Guides can be found on the Forest Management Guides webpage.
Administrative policy
Orders in Council
Order in Council 993/95 issued under CFSA Section 24, describes the process whereby the Minister of Natural Resources can make forest resources available without a competitive process, providing that at least one of the conditions outlined in the document are met.
Directives and Procedures
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) staff and business partners use forest management directives and procedures in the following compendiums to assist them in understanding and applying higher level policy directions pertaining to forest management activities as they conduct their day-to-day business.
- The Forest Management Directives and Procedures is a compendium of directives and procedures pertaining to forest information and information management; forest management planning; forest disposition processes; forestry skills assurance and education; forest licensing, wood allocation and measurement; forest health and silviculture; forest monitoring and assessment; and, non-Crown forest management.
- The Forest Compliance Handbook is a compendium of forest compliance administrative directives, procedures and related information developed to assist MNR staff at the field operations level in applying forest compliance monitoring and reporting requirements and related consideration to forest operations.
