A provincial recovery strategy to protect the endangered Black Ash tree has caused concerns for forestry stakeholders.

Ian Armstrong, general manager at Boundary Waters Forest Management Corporation, said that while he agrees that a strategy to protect Black Ash is needed, he compared the current one to placing a “glass dome” over northwestern Ontario, restricting movement of the forest industry and restricting private landowners.

The government declared Black Ash as an endangered species in the province of Ontario on January 26, 2022, due to an Emerald Ash Borer infestation in eastern and southern Ontario. Northern Minnesota has also experienced an infestation.

The Black Ash Recovery Strategy prohibits harming, harassing, possessing, transporting, trading, and selling of live or dead Black Ash, under the Endangered Species Act.

Several restrictions will be enforced on both private and Crown land where Black Ash is present, such as protection for entire wetland sites in which one or more Black Ash trees are present, and a 28-meter reserve applied on each individual Black Ash tree.

“So now in the forest industry, that would severely limit our ability to access the trees we need, and to be able to move around on the landscape because anywhere there’s Black Ash, you won’t be allowed to go there. So it has some big impacts on us in terms of our ability to harvest wood, build roads, stuff like that,” said Armstrong.

The impact for private landowners will also be significant, said Armstrong, because they have the same restrictions as the forest industry.

Armstrong said that those with Black Ash present on their land may need to get a permit agreement or exemption under the Endangered Species Act in order to conduct activities on their lawn.

“It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but based on what they have come up with, you would require a permit, an exemption or agreement from under the Endangered Species Act to allow you to cut your lawn,” he said.

Several restrictions will be enforced on both private and Crown land where Black Ash is present, such as protection for entire wetland sites in which one or more Black Ash trees are present, and a 28-meter reserve applied on each individual Black Ash tree.

“So now in the forest industry, that would severely limit our ability to access the trees we need, and to be able to move around on the landscape because anywhere there’s Black Ash, you won’t be allowed to go there. So it has some big impacts on us in terms of our ability to harvest wood, build roads, stuff like that,” said Armstrong.

The impact for private landowners will also be significant, said Armstrong, because they have the same restrictions as the forest industry.

Armstrong said that those with Black Ash present on their land may need to get a permit agreement or exemption under the Endangered Species Act in order to conduct activities on their lawn.

“It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but based on what they have come up with, you would require a permit, an exemption or agreement from under the Endangered Species Act to allow you to cut your lawn,” he said.

“I am unaware of any social economic impact analysis that’s been done by the Ministry of Environment on this and yet, I could sit here to list off the potential impacts of this. You can just imagine the cost, but they have done nothing that I am aware of in terms of a social or economic impact analysis,” said Armstrong.

As a potential amendment to the current recovery strategy, Armstrong suggested that different restrictions could be applied to the region depending on where there is the most concern on the endangerment of Black Ash.

“And that’s all the forest industry is asking for. We’re not saying ‘no strategy,’ they’re saying, ‘you need to do it differently.’”

In January 2024, the Ministry of Environment’s two-year term to come up with a finalized recovery strategy will end, said Armstrong, who asked those concerned about the current strategy to send comments to the Ministry of Environment and to members of provincial parliament.

Elisa Nguyen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times