Working group members represent CBPPL, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Abitibi Consolidated Company of Canada, the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, the Department of Environment, Noble’s Lumber, Inland Fish and Wildlife Division, the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada, and the WNMF.

“The province has had a buffer zone regime in place since 1994, and this group is working to improve the way buffer zones are managed,” said working group chair Matt Churchill, CBPPL’s planning and development superintendent.

In the early days of forest harvesting, pulp and paper companies in Newfoundland used water to transport trees and made river drives part of our heritage. When machines took over the process, there was concern about the impact equipment was having on water quality in the forest, as well as the impact harvesting had on other non-timber values, from wildlife habitat to archaeological values. In 1994 industry and government agreed to a 20-metre buffer zone to address this wide variety of concerns.

“This was the measure we took at the time based on the information we had,” said Churchill. “But we have to look at these buffers and how they were managed and determine if this was the best approach. We have to consider sustainability, and we have to be a little more progressive in managing buffers to maintain their integrity.”

In some situations, pulp and paper companies will leave buffer zones exceeding the current 20-meter treed regulatory buffer when cutting, such as 100-meter buffers on the main stem of salmon rivers, buffers around outfitting lodges, and buffers protecting view sheds.

The Buffer Zone Working Group hosted a workshop Feb. 19 -21, 2003 to assess national buffer zone management techniques and help develop a management approach for Newfoundland and Labrador.

The workshop was intended to help identify an appropriate buffer zone management approach for Newfoundland and Labrador, drawing on expertise from both within and beyond the province, said Churchill.

The workshop included a field trip to Caribou Lake to examine CBPPL and Newfoundland Forest Service buffer trials. Sessions addressed regulation and policy issues such as the purpose of buffers, current regulations and trends across Canada, and results-oriented research focusing on water, wildlife and forest structure, and soils. A session on operations addressed cross-Canada approaches to operating in managed buffers.

Recommendations and issues from the workshop will help the working group towards its goal to develop an appropriate managed buffer prescription for Newfoundland and Labrador, and to determine how or if these buffers can be managed on a sustainable basis to allow some form of selective harvesting to occur within them.

The group is also reviewing current practices in riparian zone management, especially in boreal forests throughout North America and Europe. Randy Decker of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has reviewed research and monitoring studies related to the environmental effects of forest harvesting, especially in riparian zones, across Canada. Click to view the final report, Current Regulations, Guidelines and Best Management Practices Concerning Forest Harvesting and Riparian Zone Management.

Proceedings of the workshop are available in PDF format by selecting the following links:

For more information on the buffer zone working group, contact wnmf@wnmf.com.