About Us
The Manitoba Model Forest Inc. is a not-for-profit, non-government organization located in the Province of Manitoba, Canada. Our organization represents a diverse partnership of those with a vested interest in the wise management of natural resources and the sustainability of rural communities in forested regions of Manitoba. The Manitoba Model Forest, funded, in part by the Canadian Forest Service’s Forest Communities Program, assists these communities in developing the tools, approaches and strategies that they need to respond to the new challenges facing Canada’s forest sector…
Articles
NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS COORDINATOR JOINS THE MANITOBA MODEL FOREST TEAM
Diane Dube
The Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF) is pleased to announce that, effective January 2012, Diane Dubé has joined our staff as the regional Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) Coordinator. Diane is a long time resident of the area with a strong history of community involvement and regional, political representation. Diane has a personal love for unique non-timber forest products, which she has collected during her travels. Diane is now tasked to lead the development of a NTFP business sector in the eastern region of Manitoba.
Non-timber forest products are raw materials or products that can be sustainably harvested from the forest and marketed worldwide. NTFPs include wild foods, essential oils, medicinal herbs and forest-based crafts. Tourism opportunities can also be enhanced through forest-based festivals centered on NTFPs. The NTFP sector is rapidly growing towards a $1 billion industry in Canada and the MBMF believes that our region can become an active participant in this growing economy.
Making Walking Sticks
Over the next 15 months, Diane will be working with local communities to build awareness and involvement in NTFP opportunities, identify the various NTFPs that could be produced from our area, assist with product development training and link local entrepreneurs with potential markets. Diane will also assess the potential of establishing a regional NTFP cooperative, which could also include the development of a processing and marketing centre in our area.
Potential opportunities for local individuals will range from the harvesting of raw materials through to the manufacturing and marketing of finished products. If you would like to become involved in our regional NTFP industry, please register for one the seminars advertised in the UPCOMING EVENTS section and watch for additional events advertised in future issues of the MBMF E-News or posted in your community.
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR PHASE 2 OF THE FOREST COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
The Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF) receives some of its funding through the Canadian Forest Service’s Forest Communities Program (FCP), and its first Phase is nearing completion in March 2012. In anticipation of a Phase 2 Agreement, the MBMF hosted a Strategic Planning Workshop on November 1, 2011, in Great Falls, Manitoba, to solicit input towards the development of the next Five Year Strategic Plan.
John Dojack Reports on the Community Engagement Breakout Sessions
The Workshop was open to all interested parties and attracted 30 participants who represented the diversity of interests within the MBMF area. Workshop participants were provided with an overview of the FCP objectives and the MBMF achievements over the past five years. Breakout sessions representing Economic Development, Education, Forest Community Engagement and science based projects under the Integrated Landscape Management theme were conducted in a morning session and repeated following the lunch break. This format allowed people to select two of the four breakout theme areas to participate in.
Economic Development discussions showed a strong desire for projects related to tourism development through interpretive trail development and support for local interpretive and cultural centers, to name but a few ideas. The establishment of a Non-Timber Forest Products industry, as discussed in the related article in this E-News issue, also received strong support. The need for trained local workers, equipment operators and support businesses were identified in relation to local housing needs, cottage development plans and on-going regional construction projects. In consideration of potential future industrial forest utilization, the concept to provide for local involvement and control in forest management was also promoted.
Discussions in the Forest Community Engagement sessions repeated the desire to develop a Non-Timber Forest Products industry and improved tourism opportunities. The need to secure on-going funding for the Traditional Area Advisory Committees was identified and the Committee for Cooperative Moose Management was identified as a model to establish a similar process for the trapping community. The resurrection of the Community Opportunities Program and potential linkages to Manitoba Hydro’s Forest Enhancement Fund were proposed. Facilitation of a coordinated effort between all the communities was identified as a requirement to proceed with new economic opportunities.
Bob Austman Leads an Education Breakout Session
Educational projects supporting youth education through the Junior Rangers Program, school visits and hands on learning were highly valued, as were forest and ecosystem based projects designed to educate teachers and develop school curriculum. New educational ideas were also discussed related to promoting respect for the environment and community sustainability, as was the potential to develop workshops and tools to provide forest sustainability knowledge to the general public and local community members.
The continuation of Woodland Caribou management and aquatic and terrestrial bio-monitoring projects was supported in the Integrated Landscape Management sessions along with the need to establish re-measurement schedules for projects established over the past 15 years. Assessment of mineral exploration and mining industry impacts was identified as well as the need to secure the involvement of the Mb. Mining Association and/or local mining and exploration companies in the MBMF program. The potential role of the MBMF in Lake Winnipeg research and the involvement of the fishing community were discussed. Continued participation in the Manitoba Conservation, Landscape Design Guideline development was supported along with the evaluation of tools related to ecosite classification and satellite based inventory mapping.
The Manitoba Model Forest would like to thank everyone that participated in the Strategic Planning Workshop. This valuable input combined with the direction we have established over the past five years will assist us in developing the next Five Year Strategic Plan for the Forest Communities Program.
BROKENHEAD WETLANDS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE RECEIVES THE RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT IT DESERVES
On October 24, 2011, the Province of Manitoba awarded $1 million for the development of an interpretive trail in the Brokenhead Wetlands Ecological Reserve. The Ecological Reserve, established in 2004, is located along PTH 59, in the traditional area of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, and features 23 species of provincially rare and uncommon plants, 28 of 36 native orchid species and 8 of Manitoba’s 10 species of carnivorous plants.
Showy Lady's Slipper
The Provincial decision to commit this funding was supported by the prior establishment of the $600,000 Eugene Reimer Environment Fund, which will provide grants for the annual maintenance of the interpretive trail. Mr. Reimer was an avid naturalist and Board member of Native Orchid Conservation Inc. (NOCI) and Debwendon Inc., who loved to spend time in the
MBMF President Carl Smith
Brokenhead Wetlands. Unfortunately, Mr. Reimer passed away on November 5, 2011 and was not able to see the fruits of his generous donation completed.
Debwendon Inc. is a non-profit organization with representation from Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, NOCI, Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF) and Manitoba Conservation that has been established to manage the Brokenhead Wetlands project. Construction of the interpretive trail is scheduled to commence in the spring of 2012 and will take 2 years to complete.
Carl Smith, Chairman of Debwendon Inc. and MBMF President, has been working on this project for over 10 years and said “The announcement from the Manitoba Government will create opportunities for First Nations in eco-tourism, promote First Nation culture and protect the environment for generations to come. A big thank you to Eugene Reimer for his donation and to all our other partners for seeing this project through.”
COMMITTEE FOR COOPERATIVE MOOSE MANAGEMENT SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO POPULATION DECLINE
Moose Restoration Zones in GHA 26
The moose population in Game Hunting Area (GHA) 26, located in the northern portion of the Manitoba Model Forest area, experienced a 65% decline in the last decade. In the year 2000, aerials surveys estimated the moose population to be 2,350. Surveys in 2010 estimate the population to be only 823 moose. Manitoba Conservation attributes the population decline to predation by wolves and bears, the northern expansion of white-tailed deer that host parasites and disease affecting moose, hunting by licensed and rights-based hunters and the decline in prime moose habitat due to reduced forest fire incidence. Manitoba Conservation closed GHA 26 to licensed moose hunting in 2010.
Committee for Cooperative Moose Management Road Decommissioning Field Tour
The Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF), Committee for Cooperative Moose Management (CCMM), established in 1993, was revitalized and expanded its membership in 2011 and now includes representation from local First Nation and Northern Affairs communities, the Manitoba Metis Federation, regional Wildlife Associations, Mb. Trappers Association, Mb. Wild Rice Producers, Mb. Wildlife Federation, Mb. Hydro and Mb. Conservation. In a letter to the Minister of Conservation on August 9, 2011, the CCMM requested the Minister to “Close moose hunting to all peoples in GHA 26 until the population reaches a level where a sustainable harvest can be re-introduced” and, “The hunting closure should apply to both licensed and rights-based hunting”. Following extensive consultation with local First Nations and Métis people, the Minister of Conservation announced, on January 20, 2012, that moose hunting would be closed to all people within strategic areas of GHA 26. The complete closure applies within newly identified “Moose Protection Zones” established around areas of higher moose population densities, a 300-meter zone adjacent to roads accessing or passing through dense population areas and the high value moose habitat area that will result from the 2011 forest fire east of Bissett.
In an effort to understand and reverse the moose population decline, the CCMM has provided advice and some funding to assist Manitoba Conservation in implementing various moose recovery measures, most notably, the commencement of a wolf diet study to determine the proportion of moose in wolf diets through a Stable Isotope Analysis of wolves harvested by Registered Trappers. Other measures completed or underway include a temporary road access decommissioning strategy to reduce hunting pressure in critical moose areas, hunting regulation revisions to increase licensed harvests of white-tailed deer and wolves, trapper workshops to improve trapper expertise in harvesting wolves, incentives to trappers to increase the harvest of wolves, and the collection of hunter-harvested deer heads to determine the presence of the parasite that causes the fatal brain worm disease in moose. Aerial moose and wolf population surveys are planned for the winter of 2011/12 to obtain current information on the status of the moose population and their primary predator – the wolf.
In 2012, the CCMM and Manitoba Conservation are scheduled to continue the studies implemented to date and install satellite-based collars on moose to determine their movements, habitat use and mortality rates. The MBMF Education Coordinator will be developing a Moose Curriculum for grade 12 Biology. The Moose curriculum will compliment the Interactions with Forest Ecosystems (Grade 7), Sustainable Forest Ecosystems (Grade 10), Focus on Forestry (Grade 10) and Woodland Caribou (Grades 10 to 12) curriculums that have been developed by MBMF and accredited by Manitoba Education.
Events
NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS SEMINARS
The Manitoba Model Forest invites you to join us for an informational seminar on Non-Timber Forest Product Opportunities in our region.
- February 16, 2012. 1 to 4 PM. Black River First Nation, Adult Education Classroom (white building near the Internet tower, south of the Band Office)
- February 23, 2012. 7 PM to 9 PM. Winnipeg River Learning Centre, Pine Falls
Seminars are offered free of charge, but please pre-register with the MBMF Executive Assistant, Bev Dube (Ph. 204-340-5013 or email: bdube@mymts.net).
Two-day and 1-week long, hands-on NTFP training courses are also being developed and will be offered through the Winnipeg River Learning Centre in late April and late May. Stayed tuned for more information in future issues of the MBMF E-news.
