Nov.10 hours: 20
Year to date: 317.6
Total: 3998.40
Date: November 10, 2004
Location: Gallery Meeting Room, Gold Mine Tour
Present: Robert Calhoun, Gary Scripnick, Bill Russell, Robert Vien, Mark Joron, Greg Corrigal, Dino Pellarin, Allan Moyle, Marvin Frew, Corrie King, Don Bazeley - Tembec
Regrets: Melanie Johnson, Michael Malek, Michael Fallat, Terry Pawson,
Real
Gendron, Bob Bielek
MNR: Mac Kilgour, Grant Ritchie, Randy Pickering
7:00 p.m. Meeting called to order by chairman, Bill Russell
CORRESPONDENCE and CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS:
· No correspondence
Bill welcomed Grant Ritchie, MNR District Manager to our meeting. Grant will be the District Manager for the next two years.
Gary Scripnik moved that the Agenda be accepted. Seconded by Robert Vien. Motion carried.
A correction to the volunteer hour totals was made to the minutes. Marvin moved that the corrected minutes be approved. Seconded by Mark Joron. Motion carried.
UPDATE ON POPLAR AMENDMENT
Because of original modeling problems, higher levels of poplar can be harvested. More poplar could be added to the current 5 year plan after cut calculations were re-run. Mike Malek has a bit more work left on the re-modeling before he passes it on to the MNR.
Some contingency areas will be picked up. These areas have already gone through the public consultation process therefore there will be a direct notification of users in the area.
Mark Joron expressed a concern that if there is a loss in the fourth year, there would be no contingency left.
Mac Kilgour addressed the concern over the error in the model - could it be a problem provincially. An independent analysis was done on the model as well as an analysis by MNR experts in S.S.Marie. There is no affect provincially.
Gary Scripnick had a concern about the numbers coming in too high.
· Some of the re-run numbers cannot be harvested due to accessibility
and other reasons. Tembec’s data shows that conifer actual volume
vs planned volume is approximately 10%. Aspen is approximately 15-20%.
Bill Russell asked if Grant’s would be increasing its use of balsam poplar. Greg Corrigal replied that balsam poplar is very wet. Wet flakes cannot be mixed with dry flakes.
FMP UPDATE
Tembec began a new inventory but, due to poor weather, it was only 50% completed. They had wanted this inventory to begin their new 5 year FMP. It takes 24 to 30 months to prepare a Forest Management Plan and, under normal circumstances, this FMP would have been in place for April 01, 2007.
Tembec is proposing a 1 year contingency plan which would allow operations from April 01 2007 to March 31 2008.
Work will continue on the original plan and by April 01 2008 there would be a new 10 year FMP based on the new inventory.
Inventory was an issue during the last Independent Forest Audit.
So far, 50% of the digital photography has been completed and work has begun on delineating the forest. The digital photography is at a 1:800 scale and can show an individual tree. Don Bazeley offered to bring a laptop to a future meeting to illustrate.
Going forward, Tembec will prepare a Contingency Plan Proposal / Rationale for the M.O.E.’s approval. The proposal will then be presented to the MNR who may or may not require changes to be made. Tembec will then begin preparing the Contingency Plan based on the proposal. The MNR wanted Tembec to make sure that the LCC is made aware of this process.
Gary Scripnick moved that the LCC endorses Tembec’s development of a 1 year Contingency Plan. Seconded by Robert Vien. Motion carried.
MEMBERSHIP
Mark Joron pointed out that there are still 8 - 10 vacant positions on the LCC.
Grant Ritchie and Terry Pawson have spoken and will meet to discuss this issue.
Marvin Frew has re-joined the LCC - welcome back Marvin.
STATE OF THE FOREST SURVEY
The LCC took the time to complete the survey.
PRIVATE LAND REFORESTATION
As a follow-up to comments and inquiries made at the LCC Regional Forum, Mark Joron inquired about reforestation of private land. Does the City of Timmins own acreage that would have great potential as a plantation?
Mac Kilgour provided the group with some history on the subject. At one point, the MNR had agreed to manage the city’s forests. A lot of effort was put into an inventory but the whole process eventually came to a stand still.
Significant interest was shown in revisiting this project. Robert Calhoun will approach the City of Timmins for a list of abandoned / reverted lands. Mac Kilgour will dig up the MNR survey.
OUTSTANDING ACTION ITEMS
ACOP (Annual Compliance Operating Plan) - June 09.04 LCC will receive a copy of the plan.
Enforcement - statistics
Regional Forum Volunteer Hours - Corrie will add total forum hours to LCC hour meter reading.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mark Joron moved that the meeting be adjourned. Seconded by Bob Calhoun.
The next meeting will be held on December 08, 2004 in the Gallery Meeting Room at the Timmins Underground Goldmine Tour. (behind the Shania Twain Centre)
Turkey dinner at 6:00 p.m. Meeting at 7:00 p.m.