Ontario formally approves four forestry manuals governing how Crown forest management plans must be prepared and operated
MANUALS — under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, 1994
Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice
A new regulation approves four Ministry-prepared manuals that set the rules for Crown forest management in Ontario: the Forest Management Planning Manual (March 2024, with a June 2026 Addendum), the Forest Information Manual (June 2026), the Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual (May 2020), and the Scaling Manual (June 2026). The 2024 Forest Management Planning Manual applies to forest management plans with effective dates on or after April 1, 2028, while plans with earlier effective dates are subject to phase-in provisions spelled out in that Manual. The older May 2020 Forest Management Planning Manual continues to govern plans with effective dates before July 1, 2024, again subject to the 2024 Manual's phase-in provisions. Licence holders, forest managers, and others who prepare or operate under Crown forest management plans should confirm which manual version applies to their specific plan based on its effective date and review the phase-in provisions carefully.
Who this affects: Crown forest licence holders · forest management plan authors and consultants · logging and silviculture operators on Crown land · timber scalers · Ministry of Natural Resources forest management staff
Source of truth: O. Reg. 231/26 on ontario.ca
Legislative text © King's Printer for Ontario. This page is not an official version of the law and is not legal advice. Verify against the official source before acting.
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