Annual Allowable Cut Determination for Dawson Forest Resources Management Plan Area

The Forest Management Branch undertook public consultation regarding the Annual Allowable Cut determination from January 15 to February 13, 2020. Materials related to the annual allowable cut determination were available for viewing online, and the public were able to comment on the material via phone or email to representatives of the Forest Management Branch.

Public office hours were also held at the Dawson Compliance Monitoring and Inspections office in Dawson from January 22 to January 24, and again from February 3 to February 5, 2020 where members of the public were invited to drop in and view the materials in person or discuss any questions with representatives from the Forest Management Branch.

During the engagement three written responses were received from various stakeholders, public and First Nations. Two comments were received via telephone or in person.

The feedback we received has five clear themes:

• The base case of 68,000 cubic metres of timber harvest per year should be moderated and informed by the sensitivity analyses performed, which reflect the socio-economic and conservation realities from network infrastructure influencing timber haul distances to climate change.
• Allow for future timber supply to meet the potential for a growing industry while balancing conservation of intact forest ecosystems and other cultural and social benefits.
• Future timber supply analyses should continually improve and evolve, ensuring sound forest management practices and principles of regional land use planning are incorporated.
• Look for ways to improve incorporating industrial salvage of timber into the timber supply analysis modelling process.
• Ensure a broad range of public, stakeholder and First Nations interests are represented and accounted for in the timber supply analysis and annual allowable cut determination processes.

What’s next?

Following public consultation, the Directors of the Government of Yukon’s Forest Management Branch and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s Natural Resources Department will review the input received. A rationale document will be prepared by the Forest Management Branch, taking into consideration the timber supply analysis, public input and several other factors as required by the Forest Resources Act. The rationale document will provide the annual allowable cut determination on public lands within the Dawson Forest Resources Management Plan area. Tr’ondëk Hwëchin may undertake an annual allowable cut decision on Settlement Lands within the plan area at their discretion as set out in Chapter 17 of the Tr’ondëk Hwëchin Final Agreement.