Should Ontario Update Its Forest Management Guides for Boreal and Great Lakes Landscapes?

Official title: Revisions to the Forest Management Guide for Boreal Landscapes (2014) and Forest Management Guide for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Landscapes (2010)

Open Regulations & Permits Environment & Climate Natural Resources
Ontario wants to update two guides that tell forest managers how to protect wildlife habitat and biodiversity while logging Crown forests. The changes are mostly minor—clarifying confusing language, updating policy references, and adjusting which regions each guide covers. One notable change: the Spanish Forest would move from the Great Lakes guide to the Boreal guide.

Why This Matters

If you hike, hunt, fish, or camp in Ontario's Crown forests, these guides shape what you'll see decades from now. They determine how much old-growth forest stays standing and how logging mimics natural patterns. For northern and Indigenous communities, forestry jobs and traditional land use both depend on getting this balance right.

What Could Change

The Spanish Forest would be managed under boreal rules instead of Great Lakes rules. Forest planners would get clearer direction on when to follow the guides versus the science packages. Some compliance requirements would be removed to reduce paperwork for the industry. Assessment timelines would align with the 2024 Forest Management Planning Manual.

Key Issues

  • Should the Spanish Forest be moved from the Great Lakes guide to the Boreal guide?
  • Do the proposed clarifications improve or change how biodiversity is protected?
  • Are the reduced compliance requirements appropriate?
  • Does the alignment with the 2024 Planning Manual work for practitioners?

How to Participate

  1. Review the Draft Boreal Landscape Guide and Draft Great Lakes St Lawrence Landscape Guide to see the proposed changes.
  2. Read the Summary of Proposed Revisions for a quick overview of what's changing and why.
  3. Submit your comments through this consultation page or email jennifer.nielsen@ontario.ca by the deadline.

Submit Your Input

Comment On The Landscape Guide Revisions Draft Email

Key Documents