History of FGO
Although the beginnings of tree improvement in Ontario can be traced to the 1950's, the active tree improvement programs have been established since the early 1980's. Through the cooperative Federal/Provincial Forest Research Development Agreements, two industry/OMNR tree improvement co-operatives (the Ontario Tree Improvement Council and the North Shore Tree Improvement Council) were formed to implement the tree improvement programs. Tree improvement efforts at the provincial level then focussed on data collection and analysis and resulted in a greater need for scientific and technical guidance.
By 1993, the two co-operatives had merged and been renamed the Ontario Tree Improvement Board (OTIB). As part of the merger, six zonal associations were formed to identify and address program priorities via 5-year strategic plans. A Provincial Co-ordinator was hired by OMNR to arrange the scientific and technical support across the zones and a not-for-profit corporation was established to conduct the OTIB business.
The partnership agreement signed by the members of the OTIB co-operative identified three (3) broad directions for Forest Genetic Resource Management:
- Increase the quality and quantity of fibre available to industry through scientifically sound tree breeding programs.
- Promote the maintenance and enhancement of genetic diversity through silvicultural practices as a critical element in practising ecologically sustainable forestry.
- Where species are at risk of extinction, promoting careful management to ensure regional populations are not lost.
Subsequently, the 1990's have seen passage of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act in 1994; the government downsizing and restructuring which was manifested in OMNR's Forest Management Business Plan, and the conversion of all Crown Forest Management Units into Sustainable Forest Management Licences (SFLs). This latter initiative confirmed OMNR's focus on the role of landlord while the forest industry became the forest manager through the SFLs.
Lands For Life, a provincial land-use planning process culminated in Ontario's Living Legacy, the province's new land-use strategy. A pivotal event that led to government approval of OLL was the signing of the 1999 Ontario Forest Accord. It is an historic agreement between the government, the forest industry, and environmental organizations which sets out an acceptable approach to establishing parks and protected areas and to addressing forest industry needs. The emphasis of the process has been on co-operation between government and all stakeholders in the interest of high quality resource management.
The dramatic changes of the past decade brought a recognition that OTIB's co-operative structure required some revisions. In April 1999, the Board of Directors decided that the by-laws should be updated, the corporate structure reviewed, and the organization renamed as Forest Genetics Ontario.
(taken from the FGO Operating Framework, approved by the Board of Directors, April 2001)