Is Our Forest Really Ours?

New Brunswickers do not trust the Forest Industry to manage the Crown Forest

Episode 5

The incident that spurred me to create this project

Historical usage and control of our crown forest with Bill Parenteau (english interview) and Nicole Lang (French interview)

How is our Crown Forest managed today?  With interviews with Robert Dick Forest Manager with DNR and with Andrew Clark President of the N.B. Federation of Private Woodlot Owners.

Professor at the U.N.B. school of forestry, Tom Beckley explains how he and his colleagues were commissioned by the Department of Natural Resources of N.B. to conduct a public survey on the satisfaction of Crown Forest management. On the eve of the dissemination of the results, they were asked to withhold the information from the public.

Jean-Guy reminds us that, only when we New-Brunswickers regain control of our Crown Forest, will we ever receive our true share of the sustainable riches it can provide to the population.

Stephen Wyatt  explains why we need a regime change in N.B. forestry. It was designed for an industry that was relevant 32 years ago but is no longer effective to our needs.

2007 Survey

Take the time to read this document. It really indicates a general mistrust of the Forest Industry to properly manage our public lands. It proves the public’s willingness to revamp the Crown Forest Act in New Brunswick.

Charles Thériault exposes hypocrisy at its finest. A large area of Crown Forest surrounding the Irving family fishing camp on the Restigouche river has been proposed as a protected zone, while only a few kilometres away, clear-cutting is happening on the back-steps of cottages sitting on lots of leased lands near lakes and rivers.

Charles Thériault and Andrew Clark, President of the N.B. Federation of Private Woodlot Owners, explain how some key players in our forest industry are actually corporate welfare bums. 

Scoutmaster Jean-Guy Levesque remains in a state of shock as he visits the clearcut that decimated the forest behind their scout camp.

Charles Thériault explains how two former New Brunswick politicians, were key players in creating and modifying the Crown Forest of 1982 in such a way that it allows them today to exploit it to the tune of millions

Bill Miller of Nictau N.B. tells the story of how one day he sets out to visit his maple sap camp  just to discover it was no longer there.

Don McCrea explains how the 1982 N.B. Crown Forest Act really came about and why he later refused to accept the post of deputy minister of Natural Resources.

Jeannot Volpé, former minister of Natural Resources and Finance says it is time for the people to reclaim our Crown Forest.

Why is industry leaving perfectly good marketable logs to rot in the woods? To what purpose does it serve. To cheat the owners? To bankrupt the small contractors? To eliminate competition?  It does not make sense!

Charles Thériault explains how volume cutting on Crown Lands in New Brunswick is not good for New Brunswickers.  We have to concentrate on adding value to every tree harvested.   The focus should on reducing the m3 of wood needed to create jobs. We would then create more jobs.


To contact Charles Thériault 


[email protected]

Charles Theriault explains how Miramichi was once known as the forestry capital of Canada. Today due to the Crown Forest Act of 1982, it is but a shell of a community which barely has access to the Crown Forest that surrounds it. The situation is ridiculous and must be rectified.


Time to take stock of what we have learned in the past year regarding the state of our crown forest here in New-Brunswick and take a realistic view of what to expect in 2014.  Charles Thériault expects the worse is yet to happen.



Wildlife biologist Rod Cumberland explains how the spraying of herbicides is obviously a large reason why there are so few deer to be found in our Crown Forest in N.B.



Charles Thériault shows you how to use an interactive satellite map showing global clear-cuts from 2000 to 2012. You can look at the clear-cuts in your neck of the woods and determine the devastation.




Ted Robak explains that what is missing in New Brunswick, is a long term vision for its Crown forest management. A plan in place to focus on sustainability for the forest's sake.  To make sure that our children and grandchildren can benefit from our most richest renewable resource.



The mill in Sacré Coeur  (Sacred Heart) Québec went bankrupt 3 times. It was slated for dismantlement when in 1985 the community organized itself in a form of co-op and purchased the mill.  The result has been remarkably successful.


Don Bowser is an international expert on transparency and anti-corruption. Having worked many years in several hotspots of the world, he has decided to return to New-Brunswick only to find a situation which he describes as far worse than many of the countries he has dealt with.


Charles Thériault provides his response to the 2014 NB Forestry Plan  Looks like the province has given away the keys to the candy store. They are more than willing to sacrifice wilderness, forest sustainability and common sense in order to satisfy the voracious forest industry. In particular Irvings JDI


Mike Hill is the President of the Miramichi Chamber of Commerce.  He believes that each region has the right to access and determine usage of its resources in order to create economic  self sufficiency for its population.


184 profs in N.B. say: Scrap the Forest Plan


Gareth Davies, former operations manager for the Acadia Research Forest. comprised of 23,000 acres near Fredericton, details what he believes is the real state of the forest industry in New Brunswick.


Government  hands over stewardship on Crown Forest in Southern NB! How stupid is that?

The Irving group of companies pay little of no taxes in N.B. yet they depend on our government services to make profits. This episode explains how they do it.