Tree Marker Training Has Come a Long Way

By Martin Streit

Tree marking involves the careful selection of trees for harvest or retention based on a forest operations prescription, with individual tree selections made according to tree size, vigour, quality, biodiversity concerns, and wildlife habitat value.  It is primarily applied in the Great Lakes - St Lawrence (GLSL) and Carolinian Forest Regions of Ontario in partial harvest systems.

Prior to the introduction of operational tree marking in Ontario in the 1950s, loggers typically harvested tolerant hardwood and White Pine forests by high-grading, diametre limit, or clear-cutting.  One of the earliest written documents on tree marking in Ontario is from 1951, Timber Marking for Partial Cutting Operations, published by the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests.  Its first paragraph contains this strongly worded statement: “Any form of marking that is not intended to conserve, protect, and develop the forests in general should not be tolerated.”

Operational tree marking started in southern Ontario on the Agreement Forests (now Community Forests).  By the 1970s, tree marking was common in tolerant hardwood and pine forests on Crown and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)-managed private lands south of the French River. Through the efforts of the forestry and science specialists at the MNRF, tree marking took hold throughout the rest of the GLSL Forest Region by the early 1990s.

Every year across the GLSL Forest Region, 70 per cent of the region’s forest harvest, or 20,000 to 30,000 hectares annually, are managed under either the Selection or Shelterwood Silvicultural Systems, with tree marking as a critical step.

The Ontario Tree Marker Training Program

Until the mid-1990s, the MNRF and the Algonquin Forestry Authority were the largest employers of tree markers.  Under the leadership of Al Stewart, Regional Director, the province introduced the Ontario Tree Marker Training Program (OTMTP) in 1994 to bring consistency to the training of tree markers.  A group of foresters, technicians, and biologists, whose combined experience in forest and wildlife management and tree marking totaled hundreds of years, developed and delivered the program. Their deep commitment to the program remains, and several of these “elders” continue as instructors.

Shortly after the program started, a new business relationship was established with the forest industry, resulting in the creation of Sustainable Forest Licenses (SFLs). This saw the transfer of most forestry responsibilities, including tree marking, to the industry. Because the MNRF 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.

MNRF managed tree marker training until 2016.  In that year a collaborative of Forests Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Forestry assumed the continued development and delivery of the program on behalf of MNRF. After 27 years, demand for the program remains strong.  

The MNRF Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual states that individuals must have a Level 1 or Level 2 Tree Marking Certificate to carry out tree marking and tree marking audits (respectively) in Crown forests.  Many municipalities recognize the value of the training program and have incorporated the requirement for Tree Marking certificates into Municipal Forest Conservation By-laws and use the designation to support independent third-party forest certification. Course participants have included people from other provinces and the USA – 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 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. Since 1994, over 1,600 students have completed the level one course. A student who wants a level one tree-marking certificate must also pass a field evaluation audit.  

The three-day level two course trains advanced tree markers wishing to plan and implement tree marking audits.  

Finally, tree markers must take a two-day refresher course every five years to renew their certificate.  

This fall's level one course takes place Oct. 25-29 in Huntsville, the level two course takes place Oct. 5-7 in Chalk River, and the refresher course takes place Nov. 16-17 in Huntsville. For more information, contact Kerry Spencer of the Canadian Institute of Forestry at (705) 744-1715 x 609.

Martin Streit, a forest specialist at Forests Ontario, manages the OTMTP in partnership with the CIF.