From our first-hand experience with the large-scale ice storm that struck in 1998, to our more recent involvement in helping partners respond to the arrival of the Asian long-horned beetle in the City of Toronto, we realize that the threats to forest health are very real and the consequences potentially devastating for communities.

The EOMF has spearheaded the Forest Health Network (FHN), a network of some 20 organizations and agencies spanning eastern Ontario, western Quebec and northern New York State – rallying partners in a coordinated and collaborative response to forest threats of various kinds.

In support of the FHN, the EOMF is involved in:

• hosting meetings,
• acting as a central repository for the distribution of relevant materials to partners,
• helping to coordinate training for forest practitioners, and
• playing a key role in coordinating the development and delivery of communications and outreach products and activities directed at woodlot owners as well as urban and rural residents. 

Working closely with scientists and experts from both Federal and provincial governments in delivering forest health-related messages to forest industry, rural landowners and urban dwellers also forms an important function of the FHN.

Members of the Forest Health Network

Working on Slowing the Spread of the Emerald Ash Borer

A particular focus for the Forest Health Network has been the slowing of the spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB) across eastern Ontario.  The FHN is playing a critical role in bringing partners together to coalesce around one set of consistent messages about EAB.  Past experience in other jurisdictions has shown that, in the absence of a facilitating or coordinating vehicle such as the FHN, organizations and agencies have struggled to provide consistent messaging to landowners and the public – an inevitable recipe for failure.  The FHN, with EOMF playing a facilitative role, is providing a vital coordinating function – one that is ensuring strategic responses to threats to forest health, and also building capacity within local communities to respond effectively to such threats.

FHN Highlights

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Hectares Certified

The Model Forest is pleased to offer private and community forest owners, throughout Ontario, an affordable, efficient and supportive system to achieve forest certification.

In January 2003, the Model Forest received a Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) Group Forest Management Certificate (FSC^® C018800). In February 2024, the Model Forest expanded their Certification Program and achieved Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®) (SFI-02042) certification. Both certificates are managed by the Model Forest on behalf of private and community forest members. It allows for many forest owners to share in the benefits and costs of certification, under one umbrella.

FSC is an international, membership-based, non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC has developed a set of Standards, based on 10 core principles and criteria, that ensure sustainable forest management.

SFI is an international, non-profit organization that believes that sustainable forests are critical to our collective future. SFI enacts forest conservation through collaboration in standards, conservation, community, and education with an emphasis on practical solutions demonstrated by progress on the ground.

Forest owners interested in joining the Program must indicate their commitment to managing their forest to one or both of the Certification Standards and the Model Forest Policies and Procedures.

Today, the Model Forest manages a successful and growing Forest Certification Program. The area now certified under the Program totals over 75,500 hectares. This consists of:

• Private forest owners;
• Community forests;
• Commercial forest owners; and
• Maple syrup producers.

Why Forest Certification

Since 2003, a diverse group of private and community forest owners have joined the Program. Over this time, our members have shared why certification is important to them. Here is a sample of what we have heard:

• Provides a framework for forest owners to achieve sustainable forest management that is internationally recognized;
• Provides a supportive and cost-effective approach to achieving forest certification;
• Provides for a high level of public acceptance, through third party verification;
• Provides a credible tool to implement active management, while enhancing the environmental, social and economic benefits from the forest;
• Provides a framework for market ready carbon offset initiatives for community forests;
• Provides for meaningful and respectful Aboriginal engagement and cultural awareness opportunities;
• Protects forest ecosystems and helps fight climate change;
• Raises industry standards.

Your Pathway to Forest Certification

Steps to achieving forest certification for:

• Community and Commercial Forests
• Private Woodlot Owners
• FSC Certified Maple Products

Information on Forest Management

For information on how FSC-certified private woodlot owners in our program are managing their forests, including management planning documents and the protection of high conservation values, please contact the Program Coordinator (contact information below).

To access this information for Community Forests in our program, please contact the Community Forest directly.

Environmental and Social Risk Assessments for chemical pesticides used withing the group can be found here.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

To learn more about our forest Certification Program, please contact Glen Prevost, Program Coordinator at 705-358-7913 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For information on forest certification in Canada visit Certification Canada.

Forest Certification Program - FAQs

We respect the privacy of our members, partners and stakeholders. Our full privacy policy is available HERE.

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Landowners Reached

The EOMF is dedicated to fostering education and awareness relative to sustainable forest management (SFM).  In many ways this work forms the very foundation of the organization.  Together with its extensive network of partners, the EOMF is able to effectively reach a diverse array of audiences, from forestry practitioners and private woodlot landowners, to students, policy makers, and the public at large.  Current education and awareness initiatives of the EOMF include the following:

Kemptville Winter Woodlot Conference
Now in its third decade, this partnership-based event addresses topical issues affecting the forests of eastern Ontario.  The conference has become an important educational and networking event for private woodlot owners, farmers, rural landowners and community forest owners.

December Forest Seminar
Hosted jointly with the Ottawa Valley Section of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, this annual seminar explores some of the many challenges and opportunities that forestry professionals and communities need to navigate in implementing sustainable forest management.    

Indigenous Cultural Values Awareness Training
In conjunction with its Forest Certification Program, the EOMF offers training that builds awareness and appreciation for Indigenous cultural values and knowledge systems as they relate to forest management and governance. 

Guided Forest Management Tours
The EOMF has a rich history of conducting guided tours to showcase sustainable forest management initiatives, catering to technical and professional audiences as well as visiting delegations from abroad.  The tours highlight some of the many impressive and innovative sustainable forest management efforts undertaken by forest managers and private woodlot owners across eastern Ontario. Likewise, they highlight some of the challenges that we can learn from collectively.

Special Projects
The EOMF recently co-produced with Pinegrove Productions a documentary entitled ‘Trees, Youth, Our Future.’  This two-part documentary celebrates the stewardship of forests in eastern Ontario and beyond.  Screenings of the documentary are underway with the help of the EOMF’s network of partners.  The documentary serves as an example of a Special Project.  

Learn more about this documentary and watch the videos.