About Us

Forests Division

Sustainable forest management is critical to a strong provincial economy. This is particularly evident in Northern Ontario where many communities depend on a strong and stable forest industry and have experienced the social disruption and economic impacts of mill closures and large forest fires.

The Forests Division is comprised of the Forest Management Branch, Industry Relations Branch, and the Forest Sector Competitiveness Secretariat. The Division must ensure ecological sustainability of Ontario’s forests while representing the forest industry on legitimate concerns within government.

The focus of the Forests Division is to address issues related to forest industry competitiveness, the on-going implementation of Ontario’s Forest Accord, and the conditions of the Forest Management Class Environmental Assessment, as well as representing the province’s interests about the Canada/U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement.

Forest Management Branch

Forest Management Branch has provincial program responsibility for ensuring long-term forest ecological sustainability and health.

The Branch takes the lead role in areas of forest legislation, forest policy, forest environmental assessment, and requirements for forest management planning. The Branch also coordinates initiatives to establish and maintain mechanisms to evaluate and report on forest management practices, to report to the public on the state of Ontario's forests, and through partners, administers the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program on private woodlots.

The Branch is comprised of four sections:

• Forest Evaluation and Standards
• Forest Health and Silviculture
• Forest Management Planning
• Forest Policy

Specialists in the Branch provide provincial direction in matters of forest health – both insect and diseases - and in forest renewal. The Branch oversees Ontario’s program of independent forest audits, forest competency, compliance inspection, forest certification and the management of the Forest Renewal Trust and the Forestry Futures Trust. The Branch provides a coordination, liaison and partnership role with the federal government on forest management matters and programs at a national or international level.

The Branch is responsible for developing and maintaining a set of forest management guides that provide direction and guidance to practitioners on managing and protecting forest values (tourism, cultural heritage), wildlife habitat, biodiversity conservation and address silvicultural requirements during the development and implementation of forest management plans. A committee of government and non-government technical experts, known as the Provincial Forest Technical Committee, provides ongoing advice in the development of these guides, including the need to reflect current science.

The Branch also supports a standing committee of key stakeholder representatives, which provides advice to the Minister on important forest policy issues and initiatives. This committee is chaired by the Deputy Minister and is called the Provincial Forest Policy Committee.

Industry Relations Branch

Industry Relations Branch leads MNR liaison with the forest industry and represents the forest industry within the government.

The Branch provides expertise and direction on timber pricing and revenue forecasting, value-added forest products, trade issues, forest industry promotion, use of biofibre, socio-economic analysis, and the analysis and approval of forest industry business plans. The Branch also provides direction to forest industry clients and MNR staff related to forest licensing, wood supply allocation, mill licensing, and wood measurement. It also provides guidance to the industry and interested parties towards the conversion of single forest licences to a cooperative/shareholder licence model.

The Branch is comprised of two sections:

• Forest Business and Economics 
• Wood Allocation and Measurement

The Branch plays a significant role in representing the Ontario government and Ontario forest industries in the Canada/U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement and trade negotiations.

The Branch also manages the Road Construction Maintenance Program which involves approval, tracking, reporting of invoices and reimbursement of up to $75 million per year to the forest industry for road construction and maintenance activities conducted on multi-use, primary forest access roads on Crown lands.

Forest Sector Competitiveness Secretariat

Implemented in 2005, the Forest Sector Competitiveness Secretariat was developed as part of the Ontario Forest Sector Strategy response to 26 recommendations made by the Minister’s Council on Forest Sector Competitiveness. The Secretariat promotes and manages four new programs to help stimulate forest sector investment as the industry becomes more competitive and transitions into the future. The Secretariat is supported by an Assistant Deputy Minister Steering Committee and administers the review of applications for financial assistance to the forest sector.

The Secretariat is comprised of two sections:

• Investment Programs and Energy
• Fibre Cost Competitiveness.

The Secretariat is responsible for administering the following programs:

The Loan Guarantee Program announced in June 2005 has the capacity to provide loan guarantees up to a maximum of $350 million over five years. Guarantees will be issued to forest industry’s lenders to support and leverage new capital investment projects including value-added manufacturing, increased fibre use efficiencies, energy conservation and development of co-generation.

The Forest Sector Prosperity Fund announced in September 2005 is providing a total of $150 million in conditional grants to the forest sector over three years. Funding will be issued to leverage new capital investments in the forest industry in energy conservation and co-generation, load management, electricity generation from biomass, value-added manufacturing, improved wood fibre efficiency, advanced materials handling, new environmental technologies, worker training, and associated infrastructure.

The Ontario Wood Promotion Program will support efforts to expand markets and increase production of the province’s value-added wood products. Announced in September 2005, this initiative is allocated $1 million annually. The program will fund a range of measures including a campaign to promote the use of wood products in commercial applications, research and training initiatives, development in value-added forest products opportunities, and support the creation of an Ontario Wood Products Export Association.

Announced by the Premier in November 2006, the $140 million Northern Pulp and Paper Electricity Transition Program provides transitional energy assistance to pulp and paper mills in Northern Ontario for the next three years. Qualified participants are required to submit a transition plan demonstrating a 15% improvement in their electricity costs over the term of the program.