A public opinion poll conducted by OraclePoll Research indicates a majority of Ontarians are opposed to a provincial proposal to have no upper limits on the size of some clearcuts. In a random survey of 625 Ontarians, conducted in September, 92 per cent oppose a Ministry of Natural Resources proposal for larger clearcuts. Environmental groups such as the Wildlands League, Earthroots, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and First Nations leaders have long been among a growing list of groups opposed to these measures. An MNR draft report, Forest Management Guide for Natural Disturbance Pattern Emulation, proposes creating larger clearcuts on 20 per cent of forest management areas in Northern Ontario to mirror natural occurrences like wildfires. If approved, the guide will help forest management planners determine how to best arrange clearcuts. For northwestern Ontario's boreal forest, about 80 per cent of clearcuts in managed areas will be less or equal to 260 hectares in size. The remaining 20 per cent would be open to larger clearcuts, but planners would have to justify reasons in their harvesting plan for these larger cuts.
