Forestry commission releases final report, but P.E.I. government is already dampening expectations
'Not all recommendations will be implemented by government,' minister's letter says
Prince Edward Island's forestry commission has made several recommendations aimed at protecting the province's forests against the inevitable next big storm.
But some of its members worry the province may be already poised to dismiss the concerns outlined in the final report.
The 12-member panel was struck in the wake of Dorian and Fiona, two post-tropical storms that hit the Island and devastated many of P.E.I.'s forests.
Commission member Gary Schneider, who works with the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, said the two storms demonstrated a need for more diversity in the province's forests.
"We've got really accurate predictions that white spruce, balsam fir, white birch are not going to do well with the changing climate as it gets warmer, whereas red oak, red maple, white ash are going to be doing well," Schneider said.
"I think the smart money is to bet on things that will do well with the changing climate, but also have deep roots. We saw with the white spruce... they're [such] shallow-rooted trees that they tend to blow over really easily."
Provincial officials have said Fiona, which struck in the fall of 2022, had a severe impact on nearly 10 per cent of P.E.I. forests. That means that in that 10 per cent of wooded acreage, at least 70 per cent of the trees were blown down.
Woodlot owners have estimated the cost of the damage at $40 million.
The commission's report recommends that any new provincial policy encourage the development of more resilient forests, along with measures to mitigate damage caused by storms and climate change.
As Schneider noted, researchers found that the habitat for cold-hardy species of trees such as white spruce, balsam fir and white birch will deteriorate as the climate continues to warm.
Conditions for species such as yellow birch, red spruce and sugar maple are expected to improve. A warming climate may also make conditions more favourable for white ash, red maple and red oak.
The report notes that "better stewardship" of the forests will also help.
'Everything else is gravy'
"There's a recognition that forests bring so many values — clean air, clean water, carbon storage, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat. Everything else is gravy," Schneider said.
"The idea that we're going to steward these forests and have a responsibility to do that is really important to me."
The commission's report also recommended the province improve its ability to deal with the aftermath of Fiona-like events by having an updated list of contractors and equipment. As well, it suggests prepping a database of disposal sites before the next big storm hits.
If the province had been able to sort all the downed trees from Fiona and process them into biomass, the report said, it would have provided a four-year supply of heating fuel for all of P.E.I.'s public buildings, along with income for woodlot owners.
"They could have had some revenue from it," said Marcel Arsenault, chair of the P.E.I. Woodlot Owners Association.
"That was future revenue, but it all fell down. Some of them were plantations, some were for biodiversity, some was for revenue and some was for their grandchildren or their children. If there was a market, at least you'd recoup some of your loss."
CBC News reached out to P.E.I. Environment Minister Gilles Arsenault to see if the province is prepared to implement all of the recommendations in the commission's report.
Arsenault wasn't available for an interview, but he had earlier said the province would not be acting upon all of the recommendations.
"I want to be clear with the commission that not all recommendations will be implemented by government," Arsenault wrote to the commission in a letter provided by the Environment Department.
"With that being said, the commission's work and final report will be foundational for our next steps, including the creation of new forestry legislation and policy."