Presentation to Round Table, during Montague Public Meeting by Ruth Richman

I would like to make the following response to the Interim Report of the Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship:

3.2 Maintaining Biodiversity

Increasing Biodiversity would be a better goal. Maintaining the Island's biodiversity means maintaining a level that was reached by clearcutting the majority of PEI's original rich and diverse forest cover and heavily harvesting the remaining stands. Many tree and plant species have been reduced to memory, found only in small numbers in scattered locations. It is suspected that migratory and non-migratory bird populations are being affected by changes in their habitats. It is not enough to set aside small designated pockets of this island and expect the Island's biodiversity to remain static or increase. Flora and fauna, alike, need large blocks of land to maintain and, it is hoped, increase their numbers.

The main threats to an increase in biodiversity on PEI are most farming and forest operations. Both of these resource based activities could expand their operations to increase biodiversity by:

• 1. Establishing or rejuvenating hedgerows with a mix of appropriate species of native trees and shrubs to provide cover and food for wildlife while protecting fields from wind and extreme weather conditions;
• 2. Maintain buffer zones (30 metre minimum) on all waterways which would not be subject to clearcutting or agriculture. The plant species in the buffers could be supplemented by planting appropriate species to increase biodiversity and longevity to the site. The buffer zones would provide habitat, a travel corridor and a variety of food sources for wildlife. Buffer zones would also be beneficial to field, forest, and waterways. They provide wind protection, decrease erosion and act as a trap for soil eroding from neighbouring fields. Streams and rivers with "green" banks have cooler water temperatures in summer, providing better habitat for fish species; they also retain the gravel bottom necessary for fish to spawn. Limited harvesting could be carried out within the buffer but only if appropriate silvicultural practices were used for example: power saws and light extraction equipment, such as a winch and cable system.
• 3. Policy for all Crown Land should have as its goal an increase in biodiversity. This means an end to all clearcutting except in small patches or thin strips which allow a more diverse natural regeneration to grow and also allows the planting of long-lived, high value, native, shade tolerant hardwood and softwood species as well as native shrubs.
• 4. Maintain existing buffers on all roadways and increase their biodiversity as described in recommendation #2.

Please note that all of the above recommendations have direct bearing on how the Island looks to the travelling public which also makes them important to 3.1 Tourism and the Character of the Island Landscape.

3.3 Water Quality

It is no mystery why we have contaminants in our drinking water and in our waterways. The mystery is why it is accepted. Farm operations along waterways without buffer zones can add fecal content, pesticides and other chemicals and topsoil to our water. Ground water is affected by dangerous farm chemicals and other contaminants percolating through our sandy soil. Add to that the occasional accident which dumps huge quantities of pesticides or other contaminants in one place; leaking subterranean oil and gasoline tanks; salt run-off from the PEI Department of Transport depots; roadways designed to allow run-off to enter streams; poor road grading practices; and all the other potential and actual causes of contamination and it is easy to see why we have problems in our streamas and rivers and in our drinking water.

Some recommendations to reduce water contamination are:

• 1. Once again, buffer zones on waterways and roads and properly placed hedgerows are needed to reduce the amount of sediment entering the waterways. There should be no agricultural activity within 30 metres of a waterway. At the moment the boom from a chemical sprayer may actually pass over a stream as long as it is turned off. A field can be sprayed right next to a stream, as long as the spray does not enter the stream. I wonder, is this possible? How do chemicals stay out of the stream when sprayed within feet of the waterway?
• 2. Farmers should be required to reduce their dependency on dangerous chemicals with the goal to have them phased out in ten years. They will need a lot of technical support to do this.
• 3. Get cattle and other livestock off the streambanks and out of the waterways. Alternate watering devices are easy to install and are not expensive. There have been and still are grants available to reduce their cost even more. Livestock are eroding streambanks and adding contaminants to the waterways.
• 4. Proper manure management can reduce stream contamination.
• 5. Reduction of dangerous farm chemical use and their eventual phase out will reduce and then eliminate the chance of a pesticide spill but until that time farm vehicles should have to be licensed and inspected as other vehicles are, perhaps they need even stricter safety standards?
• 6. Road grading patterns should consider the streams that cross under the roads.

3.4 Soil Quality

The remedial measures described in the Interim Report (crop rotation, residue management, cover cropping or mulching and strip cropping) are so important to PEI that they should be legislated. The Round Table itself recognizes that 30% of farmers will continue to farm in an environmentally degrading manner even when shown by example how to do it properly. 30% is not an acceptable figure. These farmers are degrading soil quality and polluting waterways. Their effect is felt Island-wide, and thus should not be overlooked. Once again, the benefits of properly placed hedgerows planted with appropriate species cannot be overlooked.

It must be stressed that farms losing topsoil to erosion and farm contaminants entering the waterways affect other industries including aquaculture, both shellfish and finfish; eco-tourism; oyster and clam harvests; and the recreational fisheries.

3.5 Converting Pasture and Woodland to More Intensive Production

While more land is converted to agriculture it is hoped that the recommendations listed above will be legislated so that all "new" agricultural land will have proper buffers, good hedgerows, little or no dangerous chemical use, follow ecological farming methods and thus contribute to the Island's biodiversity and environmental health while adding to the Island's economy. If forested land is converted to agricultural land then proper harvesting and extraction methods should be used. Burning adds contaminants to the atmosphere and disregards the potential of biomass, fuelwood and lumber found on the site.

Converting pasture and woodland to more intensive production severely changes wildlife habitat, eliminates wildlife food sources and destroys nesting areas. It must be recognized that wildlife populations will be affected.

If a landowner decides to convert land to more intensive production it should be at their own expense. It is assumed that the aim is more profit for the landowner, why then, should the taxpayer assume the cost of conversion which includes the destruction of wildlife habitat and the future possibility of soil erosion, water pollution and a decrease in biodiversity? Landowners who convert established forest plantations to blueberry fields or any other use should be subject to the financial obligations outlined by the contract signed between the landowner and the PEI Forestry Branch.

3.6 Pesticide Use and Conflicts Between Neighbours

Dangerous farm chemical use should be immediately subject to an Island- wide reduction plan with total phase-out as its goal. In the next decade while farm chemical use is declining all safety precautions should be followed. A 30 metre no-spray buffer should be established on all waterways, around houses, near playgrounds and all other inhabited areas to reduce the risk of spraying the innocent.

The Island and Islanders are unique in many ways but the land and its inhabitants are not part of a super race which can resist the poisons poured on them. There are chemicals used on the Island which are banned in other countries, for good reason. Why are these chemicals still in use? Can we afford to ignore safety tests done in other countries?

3.7 Clearcutting and Inadequate Regeneration

Clearcutting contributes to many of the problems cited in the "Review of Critical Issues" in the Interim Report. Clearcutting adversely effects the Island landscape; biodiversity; the water table and water quality; soil quality; the quantity of woodland; increases pesticide use; and reduces the value of Crown Land. We do have a crisis in the forests of PEI, it began when the forests were cut or highgraded for farmland and lumber. It continues today; in a similar manner, the woods are being cut to create farmland, lumber, pulpwood and fuelwood. Planting efforts predominantly use softwood species planted in blocks which are brush raked and burned and after planting are often sprayed with herbicides. This system decreases biodiversity, increases pest and disease problems, degrades forest soils, increases pesticide use and perpetuates the cut and plant cycle.

Ecological forestry includes alternate harvesting methods and soil building techniques. They increase biodiversity; improve wildlife habitat; decrease the impact on the water table; do not use chemical pesticides; decrease soil erosion; provide resources; and maintain or increase land values. The forest canopy is maintained which allows high value, long- living shade tolerant species to regenerate or be planted and looks good to passers-by, Islanders and tourists alike.

It is recommended that:

• 1. All forested Crown Land be managed using ecological forestry methods. This will set an excellent example for private landowners.
• 2. Declining white spruce stands should be harvested using the strip or patch cut method. For example: 50% of the stand could be harvested at one time with approximately 10 years between cuts. This method allows shade tolerant species to be planted. These long living, high value species comprised the first forests of PEI which were much sought after. Good quality hardwood still demands a higher price than good quality softwood at every level in the industry.
• 3. Harvesting in mixedwood stands should be limited to selective harvesting and thinning. Healthy, unevenaged stands of shade tolerant species will perpetually increase in value even while selective harvesting occurs. Species diversity and age diversity can be increased by planting small amounts of good quality seedlings throughout stands.
• 4. Pioneer species such as red maple, poplar, and white birch can be used as nurse crops. High value shade tolerant species such as yellow birch, white pine, red spruce and sugar maple can be underplanted in stands rich with the lower value species. Red maple and birch can be coppiced to provide fuelwood for market while providing shade and protection to seedlings. Conifer plantations are planted with high density (1000 trees per acre) to allow the trees to self prune and to assure a crop. Good quality shade tolerant trees can be planted at much lower numbers (100 per acre would be a lot) which means the landowner can purchase or transplant larger trees than one year old seedlings currently available through the Forestry Branch.
• 5. Natural regeneration should be encouraged wherever possible and supplemented with a variety of appropriate species to increase diversity and increase future value.
• 6. Slash burning should cease. It adds to global warming and increases air-borne pollutants. It decreases soil quality at the burn site by destroying nutrients and organic matter. Everyone knows about one "that got away", why risk more unwanted burns? Before the slash can be burned it is raked into piles. Brush raking degrades soil integrity, confuses the soil layers, and kills beneficial micro- organisms. The exposed soil dries out quickly and soil erosion increases. Trees planted in such soil are exposed to more extremes in conditions - drying, flooding, wind, heat and cold. The stress caused by these extremes can mean an increase in pest problems and diseases.
• 7. Buffer zones should be maintained on all waterways through woodlands and next to roadsides. These areas could be harvested selectively but should not be clearcut. Harvesting and yarding methods should be soft on the land, for example: power saws and winch and cable. The buffers should be at least 30 metres in depth to provide adequate protection for the site. Appropriate species could be added to increase diversity, add value for wildlife and to insure that the buffer will maintain itself in the future.
• 8. Mechanical harvesters on the Island should be sold to forest operations off-Island. If the forests of PEI are managed following ecological methods there is no need for large equipment. There will be a need for properly trained cutters and contractors who understand the ecology of forests.
• 9. The Forestry Branch should be reorganized to provide information and incentives (if possible) about ecological forestry methods which promote healthy, economically viable forests over the long term.
• At the moment landowners who use ecological forestry methods or leave their forests alone are not eligible for subsidies while landowners that clearcut their woods are eligible for technical advice, site preparation, planting stock, herbicides or manual maintenance at a small fraction of the real cost. In other words: landowners contributing to soil degradation; air, soil and water contamination; and a reduction in biodiversity are rewarded for their efforts twice, through the sale of their wood resource followed by subsidies. Landowners incurring costs to harvest less wood, who maintain the forest canopy and increase biodiversity are not aided except for a small allowance if they purchase planting stock from a nursery other than the one run by the Forestry Branch. In addition they must do their own research and often cannot find a contractor who will carry out their plans. This is not fair. Either through subsidies or tax incentives landowners should be awarded for increasing forest health not for degrading it.

3.9 Productive Use of Crown Resource Lands

Crown Land is an important Island resource. What the province owns and which department is overseeing it recently underwent some changes. Since Crown Land is public land it is recommended that Crown holdings be publicized and the public be involved in management policies and goals. As stated in other areas of this paper, all Crown Land should be managed following sound biological principles. Goals should include an increase in biodiversity and improvement in general health of soil and vegetative growth.