A Crown forest management corporation has obtained chain of custody certification for the Big Pic Forest in northwestern Ontario.
The Nawiinginokiima Forest Management Corporation (NFMC), on the north shore of Lake Superior, announced it secured the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification on Sept. 17.
It’s considered a milestone for the provincially-created agency as the certification will make the wood harvested on the Big Pic Forest more attractive for its partnering mills to sell product to wider markets.
NFMC board chair Daryl Skworchinski said mills in the area, particularly AV Terrace Bay, played a big role in attaining the certification.
“AV Terrace Bay really approached us initially to partner on the process.”
As the largest industrial player on the land base, the Indian company’s entire global operations are moving toward FSC certification.
AV Terrace Bay, also known as Aditya Birla, converted a former Buchanan pulp mill into a specialty pulp operation used to make rayon for textiles in its international operations.
“It really opens up tremendous opportunity right across the globe,” said Skworchinski of the certification.
The process started a year ago and was carried out in conjunction with the Rain Forest Alliance. He found it a surprisingly rigorous and comprehensive auditing process that involves engagement with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and Aboriginal consultation.
“It really makes you take an internal look at your past practices.”
The NFMC is the province’s first local forest management corporation. It was established in 2011 as part of the province’s overhaul of the forest tenure system. The organization’s partners include the Aboriginal communities of Pic River, Pic Mobert and Hornepayne, along with the towns of Marathon, Hornepayne, Manitouwadge and White River.
The Big Pic Forest is one of four units in the management area that encompasses 1.9-million hectares of Crown forest with an available annual harvest volume of 2.2-million cubic metres of merchantable fiber and 435,000 cubic metres of biomass.
Skworchinski said the plan is to eventually roll out FSC certification to the rest of its units.
In the meantime, his corporation remains hung up in negotiations with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry over the transfer of the sustainable forest licences.
“The final piece that we’re hammering out – and nobody foresaw this in all honesty when we put NFMC together – was how you deal with the historical liability on the land base?”
Such as in the case of a bridge washout, who’s responsible for its replacement? And what are the strategies for road decommissioning?
“I think we’re close to a resolution,” said Skworchinski. “We said we’re not uncomfortable with taking on some liability, but we need to know what the amount of the liability is.”
Skworchinski said his board won’t take on that liability without knowing what that number is. “There’s no real formula on how you determine the amount of liability.”
It may mean both the ministry and the corporation putting “boots on the ground” to evaluate and place a value on that.
He’s hopeful the SFL will transfered by the end of December, which will free up millions in stumpage money. It will also allow the corporation to start negotiations for the Nagagami and White River Forest SFLs as well.
