New measures announced for New Brunswick’s forestry sector are receiving mixed reviews from J.D. Irving, Limited.
On Thursday, the province said it will set a timber objective for private woodlots to help energize the private sector.
Natural Resources and Energy Development Minister Mike Holland also announced a five-year freeze on the Crown wood supply.
J.D. Irving, Limited, said they fully support efforts to “increase efficiency and accountability in the province’s private wood market.”
But Jason Limongelli, vice-president of Irving Woodlands, said they want the province to reconsider the freeze on the Crown wood supply.
“After close to 40 years of tree planting and over $450 million in silviculture investments on Crown land, New Brunswick’s Crown wood supply could be sustainably increased,” said Limongelli in a statement Thursday.
Limongelli said New Brunswick is ideally positioned to meet the global demand for products made from wood, which is expected to grow 30 per cent per year.
“We believe that New Brunswick will be presented with opportunities to grow the provincial economy in the next five years,” he said.
“Wood is good and New Brunswick should celebrate all that our diverse forests provide.”
Holland said Thursday he thinks the freeze on the Crown wood supply will be a good thing in the long run.
“What happens to a tree if you leave it alone in the woods? It grows. That is going to be something that helps grow our wood supply into the future,” he said.
J.D. Irving, Limited, currently purchases from over 500 private woodlot owners and producers in New Brunswick.
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