Celebrating 30 Years of the Ontario Tree Marker Training Program

By Martin Streit

This past fall, Forests Canada and the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) delivered the Level 1 Tree Marking Course of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in Huntsville, Ontario. This course also marks the 30th anniversary of the program, a significant achievement.

Tree Marking in Ontario

Tree marking is a critical step for sustaining the ecological, social and economic values of the Great Lakes - St Lawrence (GLSL) and Carolinian Forests of Ontario. Tree marking involves the careful selection of trees for harvest or retention by highly trained forest professionals. Decisions are guided by a forest operations prescription, with individual tree selections made according to tree size, vigour, quality, biodiversity concerns and wildlife habitat values.

Every year across the GLSL Forest Region, 70% of the region’s forest harvest, or 20,000 to 30,000 ha annually, are marked under either the Selection or Shelterwood Silvicultural Systems.

The Ontario Tree Marker Training Program (OTMTP)

The OTMTP was introduced in 1994 to bring consistency to the training of tree markers. The program was developed and delivered by a group of foresters, technicians, biologists and scientists whose combined experience in forest and wildlife management and tree marking totaled hundreds of years.

Until the mid-1990s, the MNR and the Algonquin Forestry Authority were the largest employers of tree markers, and provided the majority of the program’s early participants. However shortly after the program started, a new business relationship was established with the forest industry, resulting in the creation of Sustainable Forest Licences (SFLs). This saw the transfer of most forestry responsibilities including tree marking to the industry. Because the MNR retained the ultimate responsibility for sustainability of Crown forests, the OTMTP became a critical tool to continue training tree markers that would work on Crown lands.

MNR managed the delivery of the OTMTP until 2016. In 2016, a collaborative of Forests Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) assumed the continued development and delivery of the program on behalf of MNR. The program retains strong linkages with MNR, several SFLs, Natural Resources Canada, many community forests managers, private consultants, three community colleges, the Ontario Professional Foresters Association and the Ontario Woodlot Association. The deep commitment of the program founders remains, and some of these “elders” continue as instructors, helping to ensure program continuity and mentoring for younger instructors.

The MNR’s Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual identifies that individuals must have a Level 1 or Level 2 Tree Marking Certificate in order to carry out tree marking and tree marking audits (respectively) on Crown forests. Many municipalities recognize the value of the Tree Marker Training Program and have incorporated the requirement for Tree Marking certificates into Municipal Forest Conservation By-laws and/ or use the designation to support their independent third-party forest certification. Course participants have included people from other provinces and the USA and in 2024, instructors from the Ontario program were asked to support the development and delivery of the first tree marking training course in Nova Scotia. It has become clear that there is no other comparable program in North America.

Course Details:

The tree marking courses provide detailed training in the principles of tree marking as described in the MNR’s Ontario Tree Marking Guide (2004). Three courses are offered, all of which provide a balance of lectures and hands-on learning delivered by experienced instructors. All courses include a testing component.

The five-day level one tree marking course is an intensive entry level course which covers silvics and silviculture systems for tolerant hardwoods such as sugar maple and conifers such as white and red pine, identification and classification of tree defects and a variety of wildlife and biodiversity values. Enrollment for this year’s course is once again at capacity, and by year end over 1700 students will have completed the level one course.

There are further requirements after completion of the level one course. To receive a level one tree marking certificate an additional field evaluation audit is also required. The three-day level two course is designed for advanced tree markers wishing to plan and implement tree marking audits. Finally, two-day refresher courses are required every five years for tree markers to renew their certificate.

For more information on course details, including dates and locations for future courses, please contact Kerry Spencer, Canadian Institute of Forestry at: admin@cif-ifc.org or by calling 1-705-744-1715 x 609.

Martin Streit is a Forestry Specialist with Forests Canada.