More support is coming from the province to help private woodlot owners recover from
hurricane Fiona.
Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables announced an investment of $5.7 million to help private woodlot owners with Fiona cleanup and to manage their lands sustainably.
$2.5 million of the funding will extend eligibility for Fiona-related assistance to industrial private woodlots and provides more support for repairing roads. $3.2 million is going towards silviculture work and will allow contractors to get started in the spring as soon as the weather allows, rather than having to wait for the Department’s finalized 2023-24 budget.
Rushton said the funding will be key for the local area, with the support to extend what the province did in the fall for the Fiona cleanup.
Rushton said landowners will have to apply for funding through the Association for Sustainable Forestry and there will be a follow up inspection.
The Department states this marks a permanent shift in the schedule of such funding. Starting with the 2023-24 budget, budgeted silviculture funding will be for work in the subsequent fiscal year.