Eligibility for Assistance

1. The purpose of this program is to assist landowners and contractors to harvest stands with significant amounts of low-grade primary forest products and transport those products to market with the goals of:
   i –  improving future forest potential for higher value products, and
   ii – reducing wildfire susceptibility and vulnerability of treated sites.
2. Sites are NOT eligible for merchantable silviculture assistance (categories 6 and 7) through any Registry of Buyers program or the ASF.
3. Sites previously receiving assistance through any of the Fiona Clean-up or Challenge programs administered by the ASF are NOT eligible.
4. Immature stands containing high proportions of low-grade products that are still actively growing and increasing in volume are NOT eligible.
5. Sites must be LC4.0(SWD), or LC1.5(HWD) or higher.
6. The program is open province wide to private landowners (small private and non-industrial large landowners owning between 4.0ha and 20,000ha of forest land.
7. Priority will be given to mature and over-mature stands with high percentages of standing or fallen dead materials, and/or have been adversely affected by natural disturbance agents such as insect/disease, windstorm, or wildfire.
8. Maximum assistance of $50,000/landowner, and $150,000/contractor.
9. All sites must be pre-approved by ASF staff.
10. Assistance classes are based on proportion of low-grade products prior to treatment.
11. Sites must follow all Provincial regulations (i.e., WHWP wildlife clumps, SMZs, etc.).
12. Evidence of low-grade product utilization and removal from the site is required.
13. Low-grade products remaining on-site, as either standing or downed coarse woody material, are primarily for the requirements of post-harvest retention (i.e., for WHWP purposes), for biodiversity purposes (existing and future snags and cavity trees, CWM, etc.), or when materials are beyond marketable condition.
14. Sites must not have been high graded.
15. Site must remain in forest production (not converted to agriculture or other non-forest land use) for a period of 10 years following payment of claims.

Application Process

1. Initial applications for funding will be received up to December 19, 2025. The application form is available HERE.  Applications will be evaluated based on the above stated criteria and applicants will be notified as quickly as possible.
2. Applicants with incomplete applications or with sites requiring pre-treatment field visits will be notified.

Forms

Online Low-Grade Fibre Markets Application Form or PDF Version (233KB)
Online Low-Grade Fibre Markets Claim Form or PDF Version (236KB)

Provincial Zones

1. Western Region – all areas west of Highway 101.
2. Eastern Region – all areas east of Highway 7 from Sherbrooke to Antigonish, and Antigonish Harbour, including all of Cape Breton Island.
3. South-Central Region – All other areas not described in Western, Eastern, or North-Central Regions.
4. North-Central Region – All of Cumberland County and West Colchester County from the county line south along the Portapique River to the Bay of Fundy.

Eligible Assistance Rates

1. Western, Eastern, and South-Central:

Low-Grade Proportion*                 Rate/Ha
1/3 – 2/3                                             $500
>2/3                                                      $1000

2. North-Central:

Low-Grade Proportion*                 Rate/Ha
1/3 – 2/3                                             $800
>2/3                                                      $1300

(*) Low-Grade Proportion is that fraction of the total volume in the eligible area that is low-grade product (i.e., not logs, studwood, pallet wood or other saw-able materials) prior to treatment.