The expertise and infrastructure in the silviculture industry built up over the last several decades is in danger of being lost. That is the warning that professional forester Don Willis is issuing as the forestry downturn is putting increased pressure on the already neglected silviculture sector. Willis is the Global Forestry Product Manager for Jiffy, an international player in silviculture, agriculture and horticulture. Willis states what has happened in the forest industry in Ontario has devastated the silviculture market.
"We have lost a tremendous number of specialized companies in the silviculture industry and any time we lose these elite professionals, we lose experience and then we lose what I would term "The True Sustainable Industry". Any time we lose experienced professionals and when the market improves, new blood comes in where they try to reinvent the wheel rather than learning from those professionals. That just ends up being a waste of time and money for the industry," Willis said.
"There is a base infrastructure in nurseries, their buildings, and their people. These are experienced professionals and if we lose them, it hits the market significantly in the long term. Once you lose them you don’t get them back" Willis said. "It would take millions of dollars to replace that lost experience and that doesn’t help the industries competitive advantage either."
Willis notes that trouble in the silviculture industry dates back further than this latest economic downturn.
"Silvicultural expenditures started dropping off significantly when the OMNR issued new planning manuals in the early 2000’s. Some of the industry reacted by cutting their silvicultural programs by 50% based on the new prescriptions. That was the first big hit within the silvicultural industry resulting in a reduction of trees being planted" Willis said.
The production of fewer trees per hectare as a result of less planting and more natural regeneration will cost the industry its competitive advantage down the road. As operating costs rise and fewer trees per hectare are harvested, Willis warns that these areas of fibre will become inaccessible because they will no longer be economically sound.
The provincial and federal governments have a responsibility to see that there is a consistent and truly sustainable silviculture industry in Ontario.
"I think it is important to note that other governments like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have maintained their silviculture industry base through this crisis whereas Ontario has not" Willis says. "The Provincial government has to be more financially responsibly as they are the sole stewards of Crown land. It’s important they have more of an emphasis financially and provide a more stable, consistent structure. The Silviculture industry for the next two years will struggle unless federal and provincial governments put initiatives into place to increase the amount of planting."
Willis says that significantly more planting will have benefits not only for the industry but communities at large.
"If you look at the various strategies out there, when it comes to growing and planting trees it is one of the largest contributors to increased employment, especially during the summer. This is a strong message to take home. Not only will you be increasing the amount of wood production for the future, but you are also increasing employment right now" Willis says. "It’s been proven historically when it comes to true intensive silviculture; it’s an immediate, instantaneous gratification in terms of employment. Dollars are put back into the Provincial economy and it helps small communities to boost their economies a lot quicker." ◊