Natural Resources and Renewables

Forestry Funding Helps with Fiona Damage, Silviculture

More support is coming to help private woodlot owners recover from hurricane Fiona and grow healthy forests.

“Private woodlot owners still need support to clean up trees downed by the hurricane so we’re investing more money to help,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “We’re also making sure owners have certainty about silviculture funding in plenty of time to make plans and start work to manage their woodlots sustainably.”

The Department is investing an additional $5.7 million this fiscal year to help private woodlot owners with Fiona cleanup and to manage their lands sustainably:

$2.5 million extends eligibility for Fiona-related assistance to industrial private woodlots and provides more support for repairing roads; after the fall storm, the Department supported private woodlot owners with $4.6 million for cleaning up trees, preparing to replant, repairing roads, and re-establishing boundary lines
$3.2 million is for silviculture work and will allow contractors to get started in the spring as soon as the weather allows, rather than having to wait for the Department’s 2023-24 budget to be finalized.
This marks a permanent shift in the schedule of silviculture funding. Starting with the 2023-24 budget, budgeted silviculture funding will be for work in the subsequent fiscal year. This change will give woodlot owners certainty about funding amounts, which allows for early planning, and means valuable time in the woods is not lost in the spring.

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