It is the responsibility of the Department of Lands and Forests to manage 

 these resources on public lands and to guide their management on private lands. 

 Planning for this management is what is meant by Land Use Planning in the 

 Department of Lands and Forests. So it can be seen that Land Use Planning 

 within the Department of Lands and Forests has a much more comprehensive 

 meaning than is often the case with other organizations or government departments. 



LAND USE PLANS 



Land use plans must be made area-wise so for the purposes of planning 

 within the Department a plan is made for each of the 22 Forest Districts in the 

 Province. The method of planning is co-ordinated by the Land Use Planning 

 Section and the management itself is co-ordinated through the Regional Foresters 

 and Directors and the Head Office branches. 



At present, 1 1 of the 22 Districts have submitted Land Use Plans for approval 

 and the remaining 1 1 are in various stages of preparation. When all the plans are 

 submitted, we shall have a Land Use Plan for the management of the province's 

 renewable natural resources (exclusive of agriculture). This plan is not a static 

 document, which once completed remains as the inflexible rules for management, 

 but is a dynamic guide which changes with changing conditions — social, economic 

 and technological. Thus the plans are vital and subject to change but always act 

 as a check before any actual change in management is made. 



PRIVATE LANDS LIAISON COMMITTEE 



This committee is made up of three members of the Department of Agriculture 

 and three members of the Department of Lands and Forests. It's purpose is to 

 discuss problems common to each Department and recommend solutions to both 

 Ministers. Nothing was presented for the committee's consideration; therefore, it 

 did not meet during the past year. 



RECREATIONAL LAND USE PLANNING 



In each District north of and including the Parry Sound and Pembroke Dis- 

 tricts is an advisory committee made up of the District Forester as chairman, the 

 local Member of Parliament, a representative of the logging industry, a representa- 

 tive of the Federation of Anglers and Hunters and a representative of the Tourist 

 Outfitters. These committees meet at least once a year to discuss recreation plans 

 in the districts concerned and make recommendations arising out of the discussions 

 to the Minister. 



During the past year, a change was made in the organization and personnel 

 of the Parry Sound District committee. Instead of the one committee, two com- 

 mittees have been set up corresponding to the electoral boundaries within the 

 Forest District, with additional membership in each committee giving representation 

 to cottagers' associations, the Chamber of Commerce and the Association of 

 Municipal Councils. 



A report is received from each of the 16 districts with the committee's recom- 

 mendations. These are considered by the Minister and, if approved, are imple- 

 mented. Many useful recommendations are received each year. 



Wilderness Areas 



There are now 37 wilderness areas set aside under the Wilderness Areas Act 

 of 1959. Of these, one new area was set aside during the fiscal year, i.e. The 



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