The Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) recently received funding support through the Community Futures Development Corporation of Renfrew County towards the forest certification of the Ottawa Valley Forest (OVF). The OVF forest is an 806,766 hectare forest of which 240,000 hectares are managed Crown land within the boundaries of Renfrew County and is seeking Forest Stewardship Council certification. The funding support will cover about 50% of the project with the balance coming from the OVF member shareholders.
Mark Richardson General Manager of the EOMF says “the forest products derived from this region are diverse having both high value hardwoods and white and red pine, the certification of this forest will increase the marketability of these products”. The project has just gotten underway with FSC certification expected in the next 14 to 18 months.
The EOMF is a not-for-profit charitable organization that facilitates and demonstrates the ability of a coalition of partners to achieve sustainable forests in a settled landscape through sustainable forest management practices. This vision is achieved through education, demonstration, facilitation of cooperative programs, addressing science and information gaps, reporting on the state of the forest to communities in eastern Ontario, as well as by networking beyond the Model Forest boundaries.