**Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources ( OMNR) adamant that all Sustainable Forestry Licence  ( SFL) contractors must remove all stems ( trees) from any cut-block prescribed for clear-cutting.**

Keywords: Clear-cutting,  MNR policy, CFSA 

As ecologically unfounded as it sounds the MNR  argues that logging contractors applying the clear-cutting prescription should remove all standing stems (trees) from a cut-block allocation. This flies in the face of logic which argues any number of residual trees left after an area is clear-cut it better than none.

This was the situation 25 years ago when I was involved in producing an independent forest audit for Lisgard Lumber in Temagami Ontario. The MNR would not grant the logging company approval to resume  further cutting and road extension into an adjacent crown  parcel until it had removed ever last stem ( tree) from its current allocation. 

Swedish forestry officials in the above   1990s Ottawa Citizen News clipping ***" Pulp Industry defends Clear-cutting*****"**  endorses the practice. The second  air photo shows ***clear-cutting in  Algonquin Park's near Lake Traverse.***

According to the Ottawa Valley 2019  ArborVitae Forest Audit, post-harvest specifications want the over-story completely obliterated to allow as much sunlight as possible to encourage the regrowth of shade-intolerant species such as birch and poplar. The contractor is criticized during an audit if the residual trees exceed a certain number. The MNR's rationale  is obviously not based on ecological criteria. 

The  2019 audit states: ..." timber that is left standing unnecessarily represents a lost economic opportunity for the harvest contractor, the SFL Holder ( through unrealized contributions to the renewal fund) , and the Province ( through unrealized contributions to the stumpage account). 

This purely business  argument is disturbing in that  by removing un- merchantable low quality smaller trees with little current monetary value costs companies more to cut, section and truck to mills than they are worth while removing potential seed trees and a residual amount of erosion cover  in an other-wise bare landscape.

The policy of clear-cutting has been challenged repeatedly  as environmentally unsound and  unsustainable but continues to be adopted based of outdated and unfounded  regulatory requirements.



ND.  ArborVitae Audit finding  #9, P.g 36 

Clear-Cutting; MNR Tells Logging Contractors to " Take it Away Sam..."