Several issues raised in the Discussion Paper prompted public input.
management practices
An individual submission states the forest industry needs to be more aggressive in implementing thinning and other silvicultural treatments and practices. It cites examples of successful partial cutting in the timber supply area.
management of mixed wood forests
Several submissions comment on the current lack of extensive knowledge about boreal forests, their characteristics and their management, and urge caution in making assumptions about future productivity.
However, different opinions about priorities are expressed. One forest industry respondent is concerned about the decline of the deciduous land base due to the bias towards conifers. It asks the chief forester to set objectives for the deciduous land base and stand management. The company describes maintenance of this land base as the most critical issue in the Timber Supply Review. Another forest industry respondent agrees, saying the Forest Service must allocate more land base to deciduous management.
A third industry respondent, on the other hand, opposes the conversion of mixed stands to pure deciduous stands, both for economic and ecological reasons. It contends that coniferous volumes in deciduous-leading stands should be included as part of the timber supply, stating that vast quantities of immature spruce are present and will produce spruce climax forests if protected from fire.
Another industry submission asserts the boreal forest is very dynamic, with a constant shifting of the forest profile. This respondent says flexibility, not regulation, is needed to manage these sites based on natural processes.
allowable annual cut adjustment
Several comments are expressed on how the allowable annual cut for coniferous and deciduous timber should be adjusted.
