08/23/2026
ETC — 23 AUGUST 2026
Statement from the Environmental Transparency Committee, Port au Port Peninsula
TURNING IT GREEN AGAIN
What Gros Morne’s 1.25‑Million‑Tree Replanting Effort Reveals About NL’s Forest Future — And Why Port au Port Must Act Now
A Province Trying to Heal Its Land
Across Newfoundland and Labrador, the consequences of environmental imbalance are becoming impossible to ignore. In Gros Morne National Park, years of moose overbrowsing stripped large areas of forest bare, forcing scientists to launch one of the province’s largest ecological recovery efforts — planting 1.25 million trees to rebuild damaged forests and strengthen climate resilience.
This massive undertaking is more than a restoration project. It is a warning. It shows how quickly a landscape can be altered when pressures go unmanaged — and how much work is required to repair the damage.
Across NL, vegetation is being removed faster than it is restored. Industrial clear‑cutting, quarry and road expansion, mineral exploration, hydro and wind project preparation, and climate‑driven wildfire impacts continue to reshape the province’s forests. Replanting helps, but it cannot keep pace with the rate of disturbance.
The Environmental Transparency Committee believes this imbalance is already visible — and increasingly consequential — on the Port au Port Peninsula.
Port au Port: A Land at a Crossroads
The ETC has documented multiple signs of unmanaged land‑use on the peninsula:
large‑scale clearing for industrial proposals,
road widening and heavy‑equipment corridors,
exploration activity with no restoration plan,
watercourse disruption, and
tree removal that outpaces meaningful replanting.
These impacts are cumulative. Each project may seem small, but together they reshape the peninsula’s landscape, identity, and long‑term ecological stability.
The ETC maintains that Port au Port must shift from reaction to prevention. That requires:
transparent land‑use planning before clearing begins,
community consultation as a first step,
mandatory restoration plans for any industrial disturbance,
public reporting on cumulative environmental impacts.
Every acre cleared must come with a plan — not only for what will be built, but for what will be restored.
Why It Matters Now
Port au Port stands at a turning point. With increasing interest in industrial and energy projects, the decisions made today will shape the peninsula for decades.
“Turning it green again” is not just a slogan. It is a commitment to stewardship — and a reminder that the land can recover, but only if restoration becomes part of the process, not an afterthought.
The ETC will continue advocating for transparency, accountability, and responsible land‑use practices to protect the peninsula’s future.
