Ontario. Forest Resources Branch (1992-)

• Forest Resources Branch

• Ontario. Forest Management Branch

• Ontario. Forests Branch

From 1992 to 1996, the branch reported to the Operations Division. In 1996, the Operations Division was dissolved and the branch began reporting to the newly-created Natural Resources Management Division. From 2003 to 2010, the branch reported to the Forest Division, and in 2010 it began reporting to the Policy Division.

The Forest Management Branch is responsible for providing leadership and direction in the management of Ontario's forest resources. The branch coordinates the development and implementation of forest legislation, policies, programs and standards. The branch also leads initiatives to establish and maintain mechanisms for evaluating and reporting on forest management practices, and to meet standards and ensure forest sustainability.

At its inception, the branch was also responsible for activities directly involving the forest industry such as collecting / disseminating information on the industry and on wood inventories, flow and use; issuing major timber licences; managing Forest Management Agreements; and measuring Crown land wood.

The Forest Management Branch was created in 1992, initially under the name of the Forest Resources Branch, following the merger of the Forest Management Branch (1989-1992) and the Forest Products and Marketing Branch.

For a brief period in 1993-1995, the branch was known as the Provincial Operations Branch. Only during this time, the branch also took on a wider range of responsibilities, including training and compliance programs and the Special Investigations and Intelligence Unit.

In 1995, the branch was renamed the Forest Management Branch and returned to its original, more limited role. Around 2000, the industry-related responsibilities of the Forest Industry Section such as licensing and measuring were transferred to the Industry Relations Branch, leaving the Forest Management Branch with the remaining responsibilities. The branch remained largely unchanged until 2010, when the name was changed to the Forests Branch.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Archivist(s):
Birrell; Shimpo