Full Text of By-Law Permit to Cut Brochure

The purpose of the forest conservation by-law is to encourage sustainable forest management practices and discourage over-harvesting.

The by-law does not:

• prevent landowners from cutting wood for their own use (e.g. firewood)
• prevent landowners from gaining revenue from their woodlands
• prevent landowners from practicing good forest management

General application:

• woodlands greater than one hectare (2.5 acres) in size, not single trees
• commercial cutting, not personal use
• indiscriminate clearing, not good forest management

How does the by-law affect landowners?

· although it is not a requirement of the by-law, it is strongly recommended that landowners have their woodland marked by a qualified tree marker and have several loggers (whose references they have checked) make offers on the wood. This will go a long way toward ensuring that their woodland is harvested responsibly and that they get a fair price for the wood that is removed.

· for commercial cutting in a woodland landowners must obtain a Permit to Cut. There is no fee for this Permit. The Permit form is available from the County Forest Manager’s office and must be filed at least seven working days prior to the start of cutting.

· if there is a management plan for the woodland (e.g. under the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program) and it is being followed, a Permit to Cut must still be obtained

· a “diameter limit” or “circumference limit” cut (cutting all trees that are bigger than the minimum circumference limits) is not a good forest management practice. In the long-term, it results in reduced diversity, quality, and productivity, as the best and fastest-growing trees are removed in each successive harvest, leaving only the poorer quality trees to grow further and as the source for future regeneration.