Private woodlots to have bigger role in N.B. forestry over next five years

The New Brunswick government says it won’t increase supply from Crown lands for the next five years and is instead looking to boost lumbering on private woodlots.

Natural Resources and Energy Minister Mike Holland says the decision will help energize the private sector and allow forests to mature.

READ MORE: Expert panel member critical of Nova Scotia’s clear cutting policy

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Holland says government will consult with First Nations and the forest industry over the coming months to develop a Crown forest management plan.

The minister does not have a target for the amount of increased wood to be cut from private woodlots.

He said that would be worked out through talks with the woodlot owners and the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission.

READ MORE: ‘We aren’t going to tolerate this as a province’: companies charged with clear cutting at NS provincial park

In October, the province announced it would more than double the percentage of protected and conserved areas in New Brunswick.