Several Players Jockeying For Timber Rights

Several Players Jockeying For Timber Rights

Monday, November 23, 2009 at 12:28

Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd says timber allocations in the province will be announced within days.

Boyd also says the new Forest Management Agreement is not going to be given to just one company.

Big River Mayor Brian Brownfield says if the FMA is divided up, there won’t be enough timber for the Big River sawmill.

Brownfield says that sawmill has a right to enough timber, because it’s existed for a century.

But Boyd says a lot of groups and companies are looking for timber, including First Nations and Metis organizations.

Boyd says all those groups have legitimate interests in the FMA, and it’s not easy to balance out the desires of all those industry players.

He adds that when the provincial government invited proposals from all groups interested in obtaining timber rights, it found the demand is “two or three times” what is available in the forest reserve.