Activities Permitted on Conservation Lands
Property Activities
The CLTIP was established to encourage landowners to protect the natural heritage values of their property and the Community Conservation Land category was created to provide similar incentives for conservation organizations, which have an established mandate of natural heritage and biodiversity protection and conservation authorities. Activities that have a negative impact on the natural heritage components of the lands cannot be undertaken. Landowners under the CLTIP are not required to produce an area specific management plan of proposed activities. However landowners are encouraged to develop resource management plans1 for the lands they own.
Compatible Activities
Landowners are encouraged to enjoy their natural heritage lands and activities that have minimal impact on the soils and vegetation or landscape are encouraged.
Low impact recreational activities where there is little or no impact on the natural heritage / biodiversity features and objectives are permitted (subject to other legislative requirements or additional limitations imposed by the landowner).
This includes but is not limited to, activities such as: hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
The following (non-exhaustive) routine or regular land use activities are also permitted on properties eligible under CLTIP (subject to other legislative requirements or additional limitations imposed by the landowner):.
Invasive species management
Infill planting of native species representative of the ecosystem
Prescribed burns
Planned trail maintenance
Tree felling/removal for health (i.e. infested or infected trees) or safety purposes, where the wood is not sold
Invasive species management is permitted on lands already included in the program.
Habitat management to reduce, remove or limit threats from invasive species which result in a net benefit to the remaining native flora and fauna is permitted.
This may include:
biological control e.g. releasing beetle to control purple loosestrife
direct removal of invasive species e.g. removing garlic mustard or dog strangling vine by hand or chemical control
removing vegetation to prevent the spread of invasive species e.g. removal of ash trees to prevent the spread of emerald ash borer
Note that chemical control may be subject to regulation and conditions under the Pesticides Act.
The following is a list of management activities which may be permitted on properties eligible under CLTIP pending MNR notification and approval in order to ensure the activity is consistent with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land. This may require additional information, and possibly include conditions for approval. Failure to obtain MNR approval may result in exclusion of the land from the program.
Culling non-native tree species where non-native species are a minor component of the forest and culling would enhance residual natural heritage values. (Note: Areas dominated by non-native species are not normally eligible under CLTIP)
Tree removal/felling for health (i.e. infested or infected trees) or safety purposes, when the wood is intended to be sold
Fuelwood removal, for sustainable personal use only
Planned trail development or upgrading – with no demonstrated negative impacts on natural heritage or biodiversity values as evaluated and reported during trail development planning
The activities which are consistent with conservation use are dependent upon the nature of features to be protected. If a land use activity occurs that detrimentally affects the features which initially resulted in an area being identified as conservation land, that land may no longer be eligible for tax exemption under the program.
MNR will make the final decision with respect to program compatibility. When the determination of compatibility based on policy may not be clear, MNR will make the decision based upon whether the program objectives are being achieved, whether the land should be included under another more appropriate program and whether the feature(s) for which the land has been included in the program are being negatively impacted.
Features or activities that are incompatible with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land
The following is a list of land features or activities that, for the purposes of this program, are considered to be inconsistent with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land. Note that this is not an exhaustive list. Other conditions of a similar nature to those listed below may not be accepted. Ineligibility applies to the portion of the land with these ineligible features and not to the remainder of the property that otherwise meets the eligibility criteria, for which eligibility has been proposed.
Built Areas: Buildings or improvements and the lands associated with them (includes maintained roadways and parking facilities)
Landscaped Areas: Landscaped and groomed areas (e.g., recreation areas, such as picnic-camping-swimming areas, ski hills)
Farmed Areas: Includes areas recently or currently part of a farming operation (including crop farming, fallow field rotation and pasture lands). Also includes recently abandoned farmed lands where the vegetative cover is not representative of the natural ecosystem.
Site Alteration: Includes, but not limited to; draining, dredging, filling of wetlands; aggregate extraction; grading and soil removal.
Harvesting of non-timber forest products for sale, barter or trade
Unrepresentative Conditions: Areas dominated by non-native or invasive vegetative species; Plantations which include non-native species that have been planted, managed for the production of fruits, nuts, Christmas trees or nursery stock or that are managed for forest products.
Lands that are intended to be restored or are restored with inappropriate species, as evaluated by the MNR, will not normally be included. Once restoration activities have been completed these lands may be included (provided that it has been at least 10 years since the land was commercially harvested).
Motorized vehicle use: Off-trail use is generally prohibited except for infrequent off trail use, where values are not negatively impacted
The CLTIP was established to encourage landowners to protect the natural heritage values of their property and the Community Conservation Land category was created to provide similar incentives for conservation organizations, which have an established mandate of natural heritage and biodiversity protection and conservation authorities. Activities that have a negative impact on the natural heritage components of the lands cannot be undertaken. Landowners under the CLTIP are not required to produce an area specific management plan of proposed activities. However landowners are encouraged to develop resource management plans1 for the lands they own.
Compatible Activities
Landowners are encouraged to enjoy their natural heritage lands and activities that have minimal impact on the soils and vegetation or landscape are encouraged.
Low impact recreational activities where there is little or no impact on the natural heritage / biodiversity features and objectives are permitted (subject to other legislative requirements or additional limitations imposed by the landowner).
This includes but is not limited to, activities such as: hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
The following (non-exhaustive) routine or regular land use activities are also permitted on properties eligible under CLTIP (subject to other legislative requirements or additional limitations imposed by the landowner):.
Invasive species management
Infill planting of native species representative of the ecosystem
Prescribed burns
Planned trail maintenance
Tree felling/removal for health (i.e. infested or infected trees) or safety purposes, where the wood is not sold
Invasive species management is permitted on lands already included in the program.
Habitat management to reduce, remove or limit threats from invasive species which result in a net benefit to the remaining native flora and fauna is permitted.
This may include:
biological control e.g. releasing beetle to control purple loosestrife
direct removal of invasive species e.g. removing garlic mustard or dog strangling vine by hand or chemical control
removing vegetation to prevent the spread of invasive species e.g. removal of ash trees to prevent the spread of emerald ash borer
Note that chemical control may be subject to regulation and conditions under the Pesticides Act.
The following is a list of management activities which may be permitted on properties eligible under CLTIP pending MNR notification and approval in order to ensure the activity is consistent with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land. This may require additional information, and possibly include conditions for approval. Failure to obtain MNR approval may result in exclusion of the land from the program.
Culling non-native tree species where non-native species are a minor component of the forest and culling would enhance residual natural heritage values. (Note: Areas dominated by non-native species are not normally eligible under CLTIP)
Tree removal/felling for health (i.e. infested or infected trees) or safety purposes, when the wood is intended to be sold
Fuelwood removal, for sustainable personal use only
Planned trail development or upgrading – with no demonstrated negative impacts on natural heritage or biodiversity values as evaluated and reported during trail development planning
The activities which are consistent with conservation use are dependent upon the nature of features to be protected. If a land use activity occurs that detrimentally affects the features which initially resulted in an area being identified as conservation land, that land may no longer be eligible for tax exemption under the program.
MNR will make the final decision with respect to program compatibility. When the determination of compatibility based on policy may not be clear, MNR will make the decision based upon whether the program objectives are being achieved, whether the land should be included under another more appropriate program and whether the feature(s) for which the land has been included in the program are being negatively impacted.
Features or activities that are incompatible with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land
The following is a list of land features or activities that, for the purposes of this program, are considered to be inconsistent with the natural heritage and biodiversity objectives for conserving the land. Note that this is not an exhaustive list. Other conditions of a similar nature to those listed below may not be accepted. Ineligibility applies to the portion of the land with these ineligible features and not to the remainder of the property that otherwise meets the eligibility criteria, for which eligibility has been proposed.
Built Areas: Buildings or improvements and the lands associated with them (includes maintained roadways and parking facilities)
Landscaped Areas: Landscaped and groomed areas (e.g., recreation areas, such as picnic-camping-swimming areas, ski hills)
Farmed Areas: Includes areas recently or currently part of a farming operation (including crop farming, fallow field rotation and pasture lands). Also includes recently abandoned farmed lands where the vegetative cover is not representative of the natural ecosystem.
Site Alteration: Includes, but not limited to; draining, dredging, filling of wetlands; aggregate extraction; grading and soil removal.
Harvesting of non-timber forest products for sale, barter or trade
Unrepresentative Conditions: Areas dominated by non-native or invasive vegetative species; Plantations which include non-native species that have been planted, managed for the production of fruits, nuts, Christmas trees or nursery stock or that are managed for forest products.
Lands that are intended to be restored or are restored with inappropriate species, as evaluated by the MNR, will not normally be included. Once restoration activities have been completed these lands may be included (provided that it has been at least 10 years since the land was commercially harvested).
Motorized vehicle use: Off-trail use is generally prohibited except for infrequent off trail use, where values are not negatively impacted