Town Appoints Position on Forest Tenure

The town of Fort Frances has come out with a position regarding the province's plans to change how Ontario's forests are allocated.

It's supporting an industry call for community-based input into sustainable forest licenses to ensure economic benefits are realized and that any auction of harvested wood be done in areas only where surplus fibre exists.

Mayor Roy Avis says the position came out of a recent meeting with local industry officials.

"There's some real issues coming forward there," says Avis, "one of them being the future licensing. They want to auction off these wood lots. It really puts a strain on a lot of smaller operators."

Avis was also disappointed public hearings into the proposed changes weren't held in Fort Frances.