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speakup

The Department of Natural Resources and private woodlot owners are still hammering out some details of the silviculture deal announced by Premier Shawn Graham.

Under the deal, the province is restoring half of the $4 million it cut from the $8 million silviculture program in its March budget.

It also increased its proportion of funding to silviculture projects from 50 per cent to 70 per cent, with the private sector marketing boards picking up the remaining 30 per cent.

Prior to the March budget, the program operated under an 80 per cent government funding to 20 per cent private sector funding ratio.

The premier touted the deal on Wednesday during Question Period.

But the reaction from groups representing private woodlot owners has been less enthusiastic.

"We're not happy with this. This isn't the outcome we would have liked," said Ken Hardie, manager of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners.

"It's a compromise."

The federation represents the seven regional forestry marketing boards in the province.

The group, along with representatives from the marketing boards, met with officials from the Department of Natural Resources to iron out details of the deal on Thursday.

"There's an agreement in principle to try and work with the government on this amendment," said Hardie.

The deal could still fall apart and the entire silviculture program could be in jeopardy if private woodlot owners decide not to participate at the new 30 per cent level, said Hardie.

"This comes at an all time low spot in our markets. If the markets for forest products were incredibly strong and we had the ability to sell wood, our woodlot owners would have more money to invest."

Private woodlot owners had said 1,000 jobs could be lost as a result of the $4 million cut to the silviculture budget. The restoration of some of the funding means job losses will likely be in the 300 range, said Hardie.

Natural Resources Minister Donald Arseneault defended the government's timing in announcing the deal, even though all the details had yet to be worked out.

"There's a lot of planning that takes place in order to do silviculture work," he said, adding woodlot owners need to book contractors to do the work, along with other working out other planning details.

"The marketing boards did tell us that it was a crucial week for them to get those initiatives done."

While New Brunswick has cut its silviculture program, other provinces, notably Quebec and Nova Scotia, have increased funding to their silviculture efforts.

The natural resources minister said its easier for Quebec to increase as it has received several hundred million dollars more from Ottawa through the Community Development Trust Fund.New Brunswick only received $30 million.

Arseneault also defended the government's decision to split the costs of the silviculture program 70/30 with private woodlot owners.

"You find me another program that's as generous as 70/30. You're not going to find it within government."