Executive Director Lois Corbett spoke with APTN National News this week about the use of glyphosate in New Brunswick’s public forest. Watch the story here.
Glyphosate, the main ingredient in the most widely-used herbicides in the world, was recently classified as a probable cancer-causing chemical by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization. About 13,000 hectares of Crown forest are sprayed each year in the province. The private industry practice is funded by taxpayers.
Corbett told ATPN National News that beyond the clear health concerns associated with the chemical, the use of herbicides in our forest doesn’t make sense because it’s not necessary to maintain healthy forests for commercial and recreational use. Quebec banned the use of herbicides in its public forests in 2001, replacing the chemicals connected to cancer with thinning crews, creating more jobs in the woods.