News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – A year end review showing the highest amount of sales from private woodlots in seven years is good news for the sector and for the New Brunswick forest industry, said Natural Resources Minister Paul Robichaud.

Robichaud recently received the 2013-14 review from the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission which showed the seven Forest Products Marketing Boards around the province experienced the highest sales from private woodlots since fiscal 2005-06.

"Private woodlot sales from last year and the indications that our new forestry strategy will spur an additional 250,000 cubic metres in private woodlot sales this year, has our government encouraged about the future of the industry," said Robichaud. "At the same time we will continue to implement a system that ensures management activities are appropriate, sustainable and transparent to keep our forests healthy and our related industries in the sector competitive and viable."

According to the commission, harvesting of primary forest products from private woodlots increased to 1.67 million cubic meters in round-wood form and almost 168,000 metric tonnes of forest biomass. Production increased by almost 500,000 cubic meters over the 2012-13 season and  by just slightly more than double the lowest production season in 2009-10.

This level of production also represents the highest value of combined private woodlot forest products sales since 2004 with $78.1 million in sales. Marketing board sales increased by $27.5 million over the 2012-13 season and by $51 million from the low point of sales in the 2009-10 season. Marketing boards also collected levies on about $15.2 million worth of wood sold directly to domestic and export forest industries.

The commission also reported that while the average prices offered for softwood products are still below peak levels, they trended upward last season consistent with industry recovery. The average price offered for hardwood and poplar products have generally trended upward for the past 10 years and peaked during the 2013-14 operating season.

The commission has taken steps to streamline and standardize the reporting process for the marketing boards.  

“We can't say enough about the co-operation and collaboration of the marketing boards over the past year, it has been phenomenal as we have begun implementing some of the new reporting procedures,” said Brian Mosher, chair of the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission.  “This has led to timelier and more accurate reporting.”

The commission is made up of seven members: two representing the Department of Natural Resources, two representing the forest industries in New Brunswick, and two representing the private woodlot sector, plus an independent chair.

The commission is responsible for general supervision over the Forest Products Marketing Boards, for keeping statistics and information about the primary forest products markets, facilitating dialogue between producers and consumers, administering a negotiating process between producer associations and industry, and conducting investigations, inquiries, and appeal hearings, as well as making recommendations to the minister with regards to marketing of primary forest products.