March/April 2017 1

Wisdom in the Woods

Woodlot Association of Manitobapresents

A special screening of a remarkable documentaryInside...

• MB ash trees facing dire threat, page 3• Death knell for Canada's Model Forests, p 5• WAM 25th Reunion Lunch & Film, page 7

Saturday, June 10, 20171:00 pm

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive CentreFor details, see page 7

2 The Manitoba Woodlot

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The Manitoba Woodlot is published six times annually as aservice to the membership of the Woodlot Association ofManitoba (WAM).

WAM seeks to promote an understanding of sustainablewoodlot management, increase income and employmentpotential for the woodlot sector, promote the use of woodlotproducts in the place of non­renewable and imported products,and develop human resources in woodlot management.

WAM represents the interests of our members within theCanadian Federation of Woodlot Owners (CFWO). TheCFWO makes those interests known to forestry ministers atboth levels of government.

WAM also has a representative to the Manitoba ModelForest, another organization that promotes sustainablemanagement of Manitoba’s wooded areas.

WAM is a non­profit organization led by a volunteer Boardof Directors, which meets monthly. Our Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) is held following our year­end of March 31,and is open to all members in good standing.

Woodlot Association of ManitobaBoard of Directors 2016/2017

President: Irene de Graaf, Narol, (204) 661­2068president@woodlotmanitoba.com

Vice­President: Clint Pinder, Stony MountainSecretary­Treasurer:

Allan Webb, Stonewall (204) 467­8648secretary@woodlotmanitoba.com

Past President: Len RidingDirectors:

•Mike James, Winnipeg, Beaconia•Bob Austman, Beausejour•Tom Dykstra, Balmoral•Bruce MacLeod, Winnipeg•Chris Matthewson, Oakbank•Silvia Chiaramello, Thalberg

Editor: Sheilla JonesEmail: editor@woodlotmanitoba.com

Woodlot Association of Manitoba900 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3M 0Y4

Website: woodlotmanitoba.com

Time to renew yourWAM membership

If you're unsure about when to renew your WAMmembership, do it now. The date changed this year whenthe year­end moved from January 1 to March 31, and that'scaused a bit of confusion.

You can pay online by going to woodlotmanitoba.comand clicking on the Membership image. Or you can fill outthe form on page 11 and mail it with a cheque to theSecretary­Treasurer.

Your $30 membership dues are an important support forthis newsletter. And your participation in WAM activitieshelps keep our organization strong.

Become a director: WAM directors can play animportant role in shaping policies affecting biofuels,firewood use, tree­planting projects and other projects thatdirectly affect woodlot owners. Directors are expected toattend the monthly board meetings, usually held from 7­9pm on a weeknight at the Manitoba Forestry Associationboard room at 900 Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg. WAMdirectors are responsible for directing WAM’s operations,activities and projects.

If you wish to let your name stand for a board position orto put forward a nomination, please contact President Irenede Graaf or Secretary­Treasurer Allan Webb at the numbersshown in the column ot the left.

March/April 2017 3

MB ash stands facing deadly threatBy Sheilla Jones

The deadly emerald ash borer is suspected to havealready hit the Prairies, and with a nearly total kill­rate ofash trees, the impact on Manitoba is expectedto be devastating.

“I would bet a paycheque,” said Paul Bolan,vice­president of Bioforest, a pest managementcompany in Sault Ste. Marie who spokerecently at an emerald ash borer (EAB)workshop in Winnipeg, “that EAB issomewhere on the Prairies right now. It justhasn’t been found yet.”

The invasive pest was confirmed in threelocations in the City of Thunder Bay lastsummer. To the south, the borer has beenconfirmed in Duluth, Minnesota, and the stateof North Dakota is on high alert as it braces foran inevitable infestation.

Bolan said the devastation in Manitoba willbe particularly severe because ash trees makeup such a significant percentage of theprovince's treed lands.

“According to the Canadian Forest Service,there are eight times as many ash trees inWestern municipalities as there are in Ontario.The lack of species diversity is working againstyou.”

Fiona Ross, Manitoba pest managementbiologist with Sustainable Development,agreed with Bolan’s assessment.

“There is a very high threat level here. Wehave so many ash trees.”

A survey of ash trees undertaken by the Forestry Branchin 2008­2009 resulted in an estimate of 217­thousandhectares (536­thousand acres) of green and black ashforest in Manitoba.

According to Natural Resources Canada, within sixyears of an infestation arriving in a woodlot, more than99 percent of the ash trees have been killed. The insect,which first arrived in North American in shipping

materials from China in 2002, has few natural enemiesand native ash trees have little resistance.

Pre­emptive harvesting not advisedNearly 100­thousand hectares of wooded

lands in Manitoba are privately owned,which means woodlot owners and farmerswith wooded lands and shelterbelts on theirproperties are going to have to pay attentionto their ash stands.

Bolan, who owns a 400­acre woodlot nearSault Ste. Marie, said pre­emptiveharvesting of ash trees is not advised.

“It doesn’t make economic sense to startharvesting ash trees before there isconfirmation of an infestation. Take out theless vigorous trees, and look for obvioussigns of decay or bark splits. Those could beproactively removed. But let the healthytrees grow until you want to harvest them.”

Although only about ten percent ofBolan’s forest is ash, he will start setting upprism traps this year to detect EAB andbegin culling weak ash trees.

Bolan said the best thing woodlot ownerscan do is be informed and pay attention totheir trees.

“Right now, get educated. Be proactive.Know what to look for, and get out and havea good look at your trees.”

Firewood movement biggest threatIn Manitoba, the provincial forestry pest

management experts are keeping a closelook­out for evidence that the borer has arrived.

“We’ve placed forty green prism traps across theprovince,” said Ross, “in high risk areas such as campgrounds and parks where there are lots of travellersmoving firewood. Firewood is our biggest concern. Wedon’t have a port­of­entry. We’re essentially land­locked,which means the movement of firewood is the mostlikely way EAB will be introduced.”

Ross said the province is stepping up its educationefforts, and encouraging people to call in if they suspectthey’ve found borers. She said the province will soon bereleasing an Emerald Ash Borer response plan.

For more information on the emerald ash borer andhow to report a potential sighting, go tohttps://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/forestry/health/eab_2014.htmlor call Sustainable Development’s tree care line at 204­945­7866.

Damage predicted to be eight times worse than in Ontario

Gallery created byEmerald ash borer

4 The Manitoba Woodlot

March/April 2017 5

Death knell soundsfor Canada’s ModelForest Network

By Sheilla Jones

After 25 years, the Canadian Model Forest Network(CMFN), a Non­Government Organization created out ofthe Canadian government’s former Model ForestProgram, has been forced to close down.

“It is with a heavy sense of sadness,” said Brian Kotak,General Manager of the CMFN, “that the board of CMFNpassed a resolution to dissolve the organization.”

The biggest obstacle faced by the CMFN was the end ofits federal core funding in 2014. The federal governmenthad funded the national organization since 2006, and eachmodel forest since the early 1990s.

The Manitoba Model Forest not only lost its fundingfrom the federal government in 2014, but the provincialgovernment has also eliminated its funding support. Itappears that the federal and provincial governments havelost interest in the forest management issues that triggeredthe creation of the model forest concept in the first place,and the multi­stakeholder approach that supported localcommunities in having a greater say in how forests aremanaged in their regions.

“The creation of model forests in the early 1990s was aresponse,” said Kotak, “to a period of intense conflict inCanada’s forest sector at a time when environmentalists,governments, indigenous peoples, communities and forestworkers were struggling over forest resources and how tomanage them in a sustainable manner.”

The Model Forest Network developed a uniquepartnership with stakeholders that allowed each provincialorganization to concentrate on local issues and challengesspecific to their area.

“Our approach showed immediate promise as peoplecame to the table to find common solutions to the issuesthey faced, including logging practices, biodiversityconservation and economic stability, among others.”

CMFN has had its share of successes.For example, the document Pathways to Climate

Change Resilience: A Guidebook for Canadian Forest­based Communities, released in 2011, provides a processfor communities and municipalities to conduct climatechange risk and vulnerability assessments, identifiesactions that can be taken to reduce existing risks, andincorporates climate change mitigation into planning,

including climate resilient and green infrastructure.This guidebook has been piloted successfully in two

Indigenous communities in Canadian Model Forest areas(including one here in Manitoba), as well as in the city ofRevelstoke, B.C. and in the Vilhelmina Model Forest,Sweden.

Manitoba Model Forest programs in limboThe Manitoba Model Forest was established in 1992,

and covers about 10­thousand square kilometres offorested land. It is bounded on the west by LakeWinnipeg and on the east by the Manitoba/Ontarioborder.

The Manitoba organization has played an importantrole in working with educators, including development ofseveral provincially­approved curriculum supplements onnatural resources. One of the most popular curriculumsupplements, called “The Wonderful World of theWoodland Caribou”, is for grades 10­12 Science andgrade 12 biology.

The MBMF also ran two outdoor education/naturalresources programs (the Junior Rangers program and theKEY to the Forest Program) that saw high schoolstudents spend up to three weeks in the summer at theManitoba Conservation Firefighting Training Centre atShoe Lake in Nopiming Provincial Park. Both programsoffered an opportunity for students to learn about forestmanagement, wildlife and fisheries management throughhands­on training.

In addition, students at the Junior Ranger Program alsoearned training certificates in such skills as chainsawsafety, boating and ATV safety, firefighting and trapping.

Other popular education programs are also in limbo dueto a lack of funding. This includes the MBMF SummerInstitute for Teachers, in which teachers of all grade

Future of PIne Falls­basedManitoba Model Forest uncertain

Continued on page 10

Bob Austman, as MBMF education coordinator,demonstrates using an increment borer, which allowsresearchers to assess the age of tree without harming it,to students from Steinbach Regional Secondary School.

6 The Manitoba Woodlot

March/April 2017 7

WAM celebrates 25 years of Wisdom in the WoodsThe Woodlot Association of Manitoba marks

a significant milestone this year.We are celebrating the occasion with a specialscreening of Call of the Forest following the

morning AGM.

Your donation will allow us to continue toadvocate for the appreciation and managementof the nearly one-million hectares of privately

owned woodlots and wooded lands inManitoba.

What better way to celebrate our 25 years of“wisdom in the woods”

than with a remarkable, made-in-Manitobadocumentary about

“the forgotten wisdom of trees”.

Just before the film starts, we will honour thisoccasion by planting a commemorative tree atthe Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre

picnic area.

WAM’s 25th anniversary is a great time to renew oldacquaintances and appreciate what WAM has accomplishedover the years.

We’ll be meeting at 9:30 am in the Clubhouse at OakHammock Marsh on June 10, 2017.

The formal business of the AGM will be taken care offirst. Lunch will follow, then we’ll head over to the OHMpicnic grounds to commemorate the anniversary by—ofcourse—planting a tree and marking the event with aplaque.

Then we’ll head into the theatre in the InterpretiveCentre for the special screening of Call of the Forest. Thefilm-showing is part of a fundraising event, so we’d like tofill all the seats.

Contacting former members: If you are a formermember or know a former member who’d like to receivean invitation, please contact Irene de Graaf at 204-661-2068 or email president@woodlotmanitoba.com.

When: Saturday, June 10, 2017. Doors open: 1:00 pm

Where: Theatre, Oak Hammock Marsh InterpretiveCentre, off Hwy 67 east of StonewallReunion lunch and film options

Early-bird prizeBook your seats by May 23, 2017and your name will go into theEarly-bird Draw for a tall-boyfirepit donated by FirewoodManitoba. The draw will be madeat the theatre before the Call of theForest begins.

Call of the Forest seats: Suggested donation• WAM members $10• Non­members $15

Call of the Forest + Lunch• WAM members $15• Non­members $20

Lunch only• WAM members $8• Non­members $10

ONLINE BOOKING:woodlotmanitoba.com/events/call-of-the-forest/

Email: secretary-treasurer@woodlotmanitoba.comPhone: 204-467-8648

8 The Manitoba Woodlot

BIO

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Pete de Graaf toured the biomass furnace plantat the Treesbank Colony near Carberry as partof the 2017 Biomass conference in March.Here’s what he observed.

Above, the biomass furnace building, withthe chip storage on the left and propanetanks to the right.

Left, the biomass furnace, with the hot watertank at the top. The furnace produces hotwater, not steam.

Above, the the exhaust stack cyclone, whichremoves particulates from the smoke going upthe chimney.

Photos byPete de Graaf

March/April 2017 9

BIO

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High quality, clean construction wastefrom Brandon is chipped for fuel at theTreesbank Colony. Above, a pile ofwoodchips in the storage shed. Right,Pete's boot in the photo gives an idea ofthe size of the chips.

10 The Manitoba Woodlot

Why become a member of WAM?

As a member you will be promoting activestewardship of Manitoba’s privately ownedwoodlands, woodlots and family forests. Youwill also receive a great deal, including:

—A bi­monthly newsletter, complete with up­to­date information of upcoming events, currentwoodlot/forestry/conservation issues, and woodproducts/services available in your area. TheManitoba Woodlot newsletter can be mailed toa Canadian address or accessible on­line tomembers only in advance of being madeavailable to the public. On­line access savesWAM the costs for postage and printing, andmembers can view the newsletter in colour.View past issues of The Manitoba Woodlot atwoodlotmanitoba.com/newsletter.

—Special members­only rates for events andworkshops.

—Opportunities to participate in field days,demonstrations, conferences, workshops andmeetings on topics related to woodlotmanagement.

—Free e­Bulletin ads and notices issued onlineto WAM members.

—If you operate a commercial woodlot oragrowoodlot, the WAM membership fee is a taxdeductible business expense.

—Membership in WAM is open to individualsand businesses. Those interested in membershipcan telephone (204) 467­8648, or apply/renewmembership on­line atwoodlotmanitoba.com/about­us/membership.

levels learn about natural resource management during aweek­long outdoor professional development program atShoe Lake.

The region has also lost, or is about to lose, otherimportant model forest programs focused on wildlife andspecies at risk. The MBMF established the EasternManitoba Woodland Caribou Advisory Committee toconduct research on caribou habitat requirements and todevelop strategies for managing caribou ranges. This iscritically important these days considering the currentfederal requirement under the Species at Risk Act todevelop recovery strategies for various caribou ranges.Due to a lack of funding, this committee has not met inmore than 5 years.

MBMF also created the multi­stakeholder Committee forCooperative Moose Management in 1995, and has workedwith stakeholders to monitor moose populations in theMBMF area to better understand the predator/preydynamic between moose and wolves, and the role ofhunting and parasites and disease in moose populationdynamics.

This valuable committee, which is nearing thecompletion of writing a status report on the moosepopulation in the region, as well as recommendations tothe provincial government for improved monitoring andmanagement of moose in eastern Manitoba, is in seriousrisk of being lost due to a lack of funding from theprovincial government.

While the national CMFN office in Pine Falls is about toclose, the Manitoba Model Forest is still hanging on. Therewill still be an informal network of model forests acrossCanada, which includes model forest organizations inAlberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick,Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba.

“We will continue to work together as an informalnetwork,” said Brian Kotak, “and as members of theInternational Model Forest Network, sharing best practicesand experiences in areas of mutual interests such asclimate change resilience, landscape restoration andfacilitating public participation in natural resourcemanagement issues.” It is such a shame that each yearmore and more model forest organizations are beingdeveloped around the globe, all based on the successfulCanadian model, yet most of our remaining model forestsin Canada are languishing due to a lack of financialsupport.

The remaining seven model forests in Canada covermore than 12­million hectares of forested land.

Continued from page 5

MBMF educational programsremain in limbo

March/April 2017 11

WAM MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Use our convenient online form and PayPaloption or fill out this form and mail it.Apply online: woodlotmanitoba.com/about­us/membership.

Membership fee 201718 $30.00 Renewal fee 2017/18 $30.00

I am particularly interested in: Firewood and biomass energyWild foods and othe speciality crops Lumber, logging and sawmillsWoodlot managementWildlife habitat enhancement Soil and water conservation Christmas treesAll of the above

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Thank you for supporting Manitoba's privatelyowned woodlots, family forests and wooded

lands.

MAIL TO:Woodlot Association of Manitobac/o Allan Webb, Secretary­TreasurerBox 43Stonewall, MB R0C 2ZO

The federal budget tabled by Canada’s Finance MinisterBill Morneau in March contained several items on interestto the forestry sector.

The budget allocated:• $1.8­billion to support clean technology. It is critical

that the forest products sector is central to thegovernment’s clean tech strategy. These investments willhelp the sector develop environmentally friendly productsin areas of bio­fuels and bio­materials while helping toreduce carbon in the atmosphere.

• $40­million over 4 years, starting next year, to supportprojects to increase the use of wood in buildings andinfrastructure. This is an important program to support theuse of sustainably sourced Canadian wood and, sincewood stores carbon, this a great way to further addressclimate change.

• $5 billion from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank tosupport improved trade and transportation corridors. Thisis important as forestry is a sector heavily dependent onreliable transportation infrastructure and a strong exportsector.

• $1.8 billion for programs to support youthemployment, post­secondary education placements andIndigenous skills training; also includes measures tosupport skills upgrading. Ensuring we have the rightworkers with the right skills at the right time is key to thefuture of the forestry industry’s success.

Federal budget and forestry issues

12 The Manitoba Woodlot

Publications Mail Agreement No. 41591026Return undeliverable Canadian addressed copies to:Woodlot Association of Manitoba900 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3M 0Y4 Address label