Thank you for your question. We acknowledge your concern, but would like to point out that the forest is always changing – even the areas that you walk in and enjoy could have been harvested multiple times. There has been a long history of forest harvesting and regrowth here in New Brunswick, and it remains a beautiful province that we are proud to call home.
We do, in fact, replant in many areas that we harvest, but we plant multiple species on all these sites. Well-recognized scientists have closely studied biodiversity on our lands, particularly focusing on the planted areas. We take active measures to ensure that critical wildlife habitat and biodiversity is maintained in these areas and those adjacent to them. Most of our planted areas are also selectively harvested by thinning out some trees between the ages of 25 and 35 years in order to provide more room for the trees to grow.
We are active in habitat research and conservation. Today, we manage over 2,000 sites, protecting birds, wildlife, old growth forest and plant habitat. In addition, we are responsible for tens of thousands of kilometers of watercourse buffers along rivers, lakes and streams.
Every year, audits are completed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Sustainable Forestry initiative (SFI) who certify our forest management. Click here for the most recent SFI report.
In terms of hardwood, it naturally regenerates very well, and today, we have more hardwood in New Brunswick than we did 50 years ago.
We are proud of our forest management and our efforts to ensure healthy wildlife populations and biodiversity is maintained. We would be pleased to host you to take a closer look at our management and results on the ground if you are interested.