Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists
Joint Proposal For Lightening The Ecological Footprint Of Logging in Algonquin Park .. Nov. 6/09 .. ABR News Item
Earlier this week, the Ontario government declared that it is moving forward on recommendations in the report - Joint Proposal for Lightening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin Park. This news was released on the province's official news website ... http://www.news.ontario.ca
The "Joint Proposal for Lightening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin Park, by the Ontario Parks Board of Directors and the Algonquin Forestry Authority Board of Directors" was loaded on to the Environmental Registry on November 6, 2009. Its EBR Registry Number is 010-8247. It can be accessed there via .. http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca.
The report can also be downloaded directly at ... http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/planning_pdf/algo/algo_joint_proposal.pdf
As in the case of last year's "Recommendations of the Ontario Parks Board - Lightening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin Provincial Park", this report also redefines many of the terms of reference involved in park area designations. In so doing, it generates some dramatic statistical increases in "Total Protection Zones".
However, in the case of both the reports, once all the newly defined terms and statistics are recognized, the net reductions in logged areas (Managed Forest) are as shown below ...
Recommendations of the Ontario Parks Board - Lightening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin P. P.
Joint Proposal For Lightening The Ecological Footprint Of Logging in Algonquin Park
While the original "Recommendations of the Ontario Parks Board - Lightening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin" called for a 17.8% reduction in the logged area, the new "Joint Proposal For Lightening The Ecological Footprint Of Logging in Algonquin" calls for only a 7.3% reduction in the logged area.
This outcome, is markedly preferential to the interests of the Algonquin Forestry Authority, over the interest of the Ontario Parks Board to improve the quality of recreational experiences. If these Joint Proposals had applied more of the original Ontario Parks Board's recommended canoe water setbacks, the reduction in logged areas (Managed Forest), would have been closer to the original 17.8%, rather than at this conservative reduction level of 7.3%.
While the result is an improvement over the present situation, it definitely isn't the scale of improvement that the Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists were hoping for.
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