Nearly 80% of Ontario is covered by boreal forest – one of the largest wild ecosystems left on the planet. The boreal forest is home to countless wild creatures, is one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water in the world and has the ability to prevent climate change by storing carbon in its soils, trees and wetlands. The boreal forest accounts for 83% of Ontario’s natural carbon storage. Each hectare lost reduces this capacity by 177 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).

With proper forest management and planning, Ontario has an opportunity that no longer exists in most of the world; we can protect a vast wilderness, while capturing a growing, higher-value green market for sustainable forest products.

To achieve these goals, the Green Party of Ontario will:

■ Establish large protected areas in the southern half of Ontario’s boreal region. We have a responsibility to provide for all the habitat requirements of Ontario’s species, which for some will mean setting aside very large tracts of land.

■ Implement a conservation-focused land-use plan for the entire boreal forest before any additional permits for resource extraction are granted. A
proper conservation plan, developed in cooperation with First Nations, must be in place before new economic interests in the boreal forest are addressed.

■ Ensure that all protected lands, including Living Legacy sites, remain closed to logging.

■ Engage in stakeholder consultations for a plan to move to certification-based sustainable forestry by the end of 2009 and 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forestry by 2012. Better forest management is sound environmental and economic policy to ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of the forestry sector.

■ Require the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to consult with affected communities when issuing cutting licences. Establish a MNR stakeholder task force to study the establishment of a program whereby licence fees will compensate communities for the value provided by an intact forest – including its ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, support wildlife, store water and conserve soil.

■ Ban the use of synthetic herbicides in forestry, except when required to control non-native invasive species for which no other controls exist.

■ Introduce legislation that requires only native species to be used for reforestation. Imported and genetically modified species will be banned as reforestation species.

■ Require all government facilities to purchase paper products that are eco-certified according to Forest Stewardship Council criteria. The FSC promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

■ Place a permanent ban on logging within Algonquin Park. Currently, 78% of the Park’s area may be logged and is not protected. The GPO will extend protection to the entire park.