Quinte Conservation (QC) owns over 30,000 acres (or over 12,000 hectares) of Conservation Lands that are certified under global standard of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). As part of a larger certification group (covering many community forests in Southern Ontario); the Eastern Ontario Model Forest maintains the group certification standards through field audits, education, and collaborating with senior levels of government. This certification continues to ensure sustainable harvest management of our commercial forests throughout the three watersheds in our jurisdiction. It is important to note that only 4,000 acres (or 1,620 hectares) of QC lands are considered to be ‘commercial'; and that the commercial forests are plantations that converted poor agricultural fields back to their original forested state. The remaining properties remain held in public trust as widely visited Conservation Areas and nature reserve lands.
The forests owned and managed by the Quinte Conservation have achieved Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification (FSC® C018800) through the Eastern Ontario Model Forest’s Forest Certification Program. FSC® is an international, membership-based, non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. Quinte Conservation's objectives for its forest holdings include environmental protection, recreation, education, wildlife habitat and forest products.
Forest operations on commercially-designated forests follows a strict process. Firstly, the forests stands are inventory, then a prescription is developed by a Registered Professional Forester. Subsequently, a certified tree marker marks the trees for removal. A commercial forest harvest operator cuts and skids the marked trees to a landing area. From the landing, the wood is sorted and transported to a local saw mill. Having a FSC certification guarantees that any FSC-labelled product (and the subsequent supply chain) is being managed to the highest of standards available for the forest industry. Learn more about the FSC Certification here.
View High Conservation Values Report
For more information, on Quinte Conservation forest management activities and planning please contact Tim Trustham, Conservation Forester, 613-922-1504 or ttrustham@quinteconservation.ca. To learn more about FSC Certification and the information available to the public and affected stakeholders, please see the Eastern Ontario Model Forest’s Forest Certification Program webpage.
