Counties losing greenspace to development ACTUAL I TÉ • NEWS
NOTICE - RUSSELL TRANSFER STATION CLOSING ON SATURDAYS Please note that ourWaste Transfer Station located at 211 Corduroy Road will be closed on Saturdays from December 1st, 2015 to March 1st, 2016. The facility will continue to be open to receive waste from Mondays to Fridays from 7am to 5pm. Our facility located at 17125 Laeche Road in Moose Creek is open on Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm. Thank you AVIS - CENTRE DE TRANSBORDEMENT RUSSELL SERA FERMÉ LE SAMEDI Veuillez noter que notre centre de transbordement de déchets situé au 211 chemin Corduroy sera fermé le samedi du 1er décembre 2015 au 1er mars 2016. Le centre sera ouvert du lundi au vendredi de 7h à 17h. Notre complexe situé au 17125 chemin Laeche à Moose Creek est ouvert le samedi de 8h à 14h. Merci H200345_TS
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Parts of Prescott-Russell are looking a bit less green these days. The forest cover is getting a bit thinner in some parts of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) and that is due to continuing economic development, either through commercial and residential expan- sion in some of the villages and towns or more clearcutting of woodlands to make room for new farmland and pasturage. A recent report to the counties council indica- ted that the problem is that natural refores- tation is not keeping up with the treecutting so Prescott-Russell’s forest cover has taken a significant slide below the recommended Environment Canada standard for sustai- nable greenspace. «We’re not saying that all clearcutting is bad,» said Louis Prévost, UCPR planning and forestry director, during a phone interview. «What we need is to achieve some sort of balance.» Prévost presented counties council du- ring its Nov. 10 session with a PowePoint summary of a forest cover study done for the UCPR last year.The study was a partnership between the UCPR, the South Nation and Raisin River Conservation Authorities (SNC and RRC), the United Counties of Stormont- Dundas-Glengarry (UCSDG) and Ontario Natural Resources. The study examined forest cover concerns for the entire Five Counties region, including both the South Nation and Raisin River watersheds. Prévost’ presentation focused on the portion of the study dealing with Prescott-Russell. In 2008 Prescott-Russell’s forest cover was almost 30 per cent of the total area for the region. That fits the Environment Canada standard for sustainable greenspace. As of last year, the forest cover percentage for the UCPR in total was 24.82 per cent, almost a five per cent drop. Determining where the most significant reductions in forest cover are is difficult to say because each of the eight member municipalities in the UCPR vary in actual size from the Village of Casselman sitting by itself within the bounds of The Nation Municipality, to the large areas encom- passed by the boundaries of either the City of Clarence-Rockland and Russell Township. Also each municipality varies in its indi- vidual community profile from those like The Nation or Alfred-Plantagenet Township, which are rural for the most part and have large expanses of farmland sitting side-by- side with native forests, to municipalities like the Town of Hawkesbury or the Village of Casselman, which are urban for themost part, and thenmunicipalities like Clarence- Rockland and Russell Township, which have a wide mix of both urban and rural areas. For now the aim of the report is to make all those participating in the report aware of the situation. Prévost noted that the report’s findings, and possible options to deal with the situation, will be a primary discussion subject during upcoming meetings of the UCPR planning and forestry advisory com- mittee, and also for other agencies like SNC. Prévost added that one thing to try to avoid is assigning blame in any discussions of how to address the forest cover situation. «It’s a hot subject,» said Prévost, «and a delicate one as well.»
Dr Brigitte M. Filion
Optométriste • Optometrist 685 Notre-Dame, Unit / Unité 2, Embrun 613 443-1113
www.lelunettier.ca
685 Notre-Dame, Unit / Unité 2, Embrun 613 443-3335
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