While as lakefront property owners, we prioritize our lakefront experience, it is well recognized that the
forests that surround our lakes and our properties are also key to our overall lake experience.
Most of these forests are Crown Land, and as such, they represent a commercial asset and a source of
employment and wood materials. Mazinaw-Lanark Forest Inc. (MLFI) is the provincially approved
Licensee that manages the harvesting of wood products in the Crown Land forests in the SDRA areas of
interest.

MLFI is currently nearing the final stages of developing a 10 year Forest Management Plan,
covering the period from 2021 – 2031.
There is information coming in the Spring Newsletter describing SDRA initiatives on this topic, however,
the deadline for comments directly from SDRA members to the MNRF/MLFI is May 17, and we
thought some earlier information might be helpful.
Harvesting activities of primary interest for SDRA members are indicated in the following composite
map. All of the areas shown with a black number, such as 21_144, are blocks scheduled for harvesting:

The Legend for this map composite is shown below:

The SDRA Board has been actively working on this file and has raised several concerns with the MLFI and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MNRF). Specifically, we have raised concerns related to the following:

• Harvesting activities up to the very edge of private properties, with no buffer zone (of particular concern to property owners in Jacques Bay, north of Jacques Bay Road)
• Harvesting activities up to the edge of public and private access roads, with no buffer to protect the viewscape
• Minimal protection for damage to the extensive wetlands included in the planned harvest areas, wetlands that are directly part of the Skootamatta, Sheldrake and Pringle Lake watersheds, and key to protecting water quality and flooding control
• Lack of adequate protection for the viewscape of the shoreline as seen from the lake.

While the SDRA Board has had cordial discussions with representatives of the MLFI and the MNRF, there has been little indication of a positive response to the above concerns.

The SDRA Board encourages our members (and other property owners in the SDRA area) to consider their own views on these challenges, and potentially make individual submissions to the process. 

Details of the proposed plan can be found at https://nrip.mnr.gov.on.ca/s/consultation-notice?language=en_US&recordId=a0z3g000000ofS9AAI Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll find a series of expandable headings under ‘DRAFT FMP’.

Submissions are due by May 17, 2021, and can be sent via this online form or by email to any of:

Joel Martineau (joel.martineau@ontario.ca
Margaret Hatton (mhatton@mlfi.org)
Tom Sheppard (mazlanlcc@snowbase.ca)

All such submissions will be responded to.

SDRA Board