ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Commitment 1.3.2 – In order to advance the territorial vision of land and resource management in accordance with the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, we will evolve our legislative, regulatory, and policy systems by:
Developing and proposing amendments to the Forest Management Act.

The Forest Management Act and the Forest Protection Act were established in 1988 with the transfer of forestry from the federal government. The Acts are outdated and require new language and a more sustainable approach in terms of managing forest within northern ecosystems. The Forest Protection Act is based on a very old act and requires the development of new regulations (milestones 1, 2 and 3).

The proposed Forest Management and Protection Act provides an update to the current forest legislation by expanding it beyond a focus on the economic value of timber to a holistic one that allows for the sustainable use of forest resources. It recognizes that wildland fire is a significant natural occurrence and effective forest and wildland fire management will utilize a well-informed and participatory public.

Related Mandate Commitments:

• Commitment 1.1.13 - We will support small communities by enhancing job-creation programs, building community capacity and supporting new economic opportunities, by: Implementing the Economic Opportunities Strategy

• Commitment 1.2.5 - Through agreements with communities, we will help to establish and/or expand self-sufficient businesses that sell products from renewable resource harvesting.

• Commitment 3.2.2 - We will develop a range plan for boreal caribou in the Northwest Territories.