News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The New Brunswick maple sugar industry will benefit from 4,000 hectares of crown forests being made available for leasing over the next four years.

The new allotment represents a 41 per cent increase compared to what is already being used by producers.

"We are very pleased to have partnered with this important sector in our province," said Natural Resources Minister Paul Robichaud, who is also minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation. "These additional crown forests will mean a boost to the economy, more secondary transformation of maple here at home and it will spur more entrepreneurship. It is another example of putting our resources to work."

In the months ahead, a request for proposals will be issued to assess which pockets of land can be made available for leasing.

Conservation forests and protected natural areas will not be impacted by the land being made available.

The maple sugar industry currently uses 9,000 hectares of crown forests.

New funding of $800,000 for infrastructure projects to assist 11 local maple producers was also announced.

“Our investment will ensure these local producers have access to the proper infrastructure to produce their respective products,” said Robichaud.

New Brunswick is the third largest maple syrup producer in the world. The provincial industry has more than 200 maple syrup producers. About 2,285 seasonal and full-time jobs are generated during the production season. Cash receipts in the sector last year totaled about $20 million.

“This is a significant step forward for our industry,” said the general manager of the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association Yvon Poitras. “We are very pleased that the government has made these crown forests available and it will go a long way towards helping to grow the industry. This is a great day for the maple producers of New Brunswick.”